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Opponents Of Proposal 1 Celebrate Resounding Victory

TROY (WWJ/AP) -- It was a happy night in Troy on Tuesday, where opponents of Proposal 1 gathered to watch election results.

The measure, proposed by Governor Rick Snyder in December, looked to increase the state sales tax from 6 percent to 7 percent and would go toward funding road repairs throughout the state as well as helping to fund schools.

Voters made their voices heard during the election, overwhelmingly rejecting the proposal. At the Marriott Hotel in Troy, founder of the Coalition Against Higher Taxes, Paul Mitchell, said that it was his stance from the beginning that Proposal 1 was a "poster child for bad politics."

"I'm proud to have played a role in stopping the largest tax increase in 50 years in Michigan," Mitchell said.

Mitchell said that the group knows the roads are in bad shape and that they want to see a responsible plan to fund a fix. He said he has already reached out to several lawmakers in the state to talk about other plans.

Before all returns had been counted, Snyder said in a statement that the measure was dead. Its defeat is a setback for Snyder and others who had warned that the state's infrastructure is falling into disrepair because of inadequate funding.

The constitutional amendment was placed on the ballot by the Republican-led Legislature and had backing from the GOP governor, Democrats and a broad coalition of business, labor and government groups.

But voters rejected the wide-ranging plan. It would have eliminated the sales tax on fuel so all taxes at the pump could go to transportation, restructured and doubled fuel taxes, and hiked vehicle registration fees to boost the state's $3.7 billion transportation budget to $5 billion, an increase of a third.

Snyder is vowing to start discussions with the leaders of both chambers in the very near future.

 

TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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