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| President's Letter
Well by now most of you have had a chance to review the negative impact the MBT will have on our industry. Oh well, another challenge to go hand and hand with the economy. How was that for a major downer and opening to my letter? Just keep in mind if leadership had not worked on it as hard as they did it would have been worse, hard to imagine. What is new on the horizon? We have a special task force doing the final review of the proposed “REALTOR® Lien Law.” There is legislative support and the possibility of this being reality is better than it has been for years. Congratulations to Bill Millliken who was recently elected for two-one year terms on the MAR Board of Directors. Good luck and good leadership from the MiCAR Board. As the year comes to end don’t forget your CE requirements. Also remember that between January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2008, every REALTOR® is required to complete 2 1/2 hours of Code of Ethics training. I am including a link that will allow you to do this from your office in thirty minute segments. This course can be completed in about 2.5 hours. When completed, NAR will inform your local affiliation. Take a chance in 2008 and volunteer for a leadership position in our business- MAR, MiCAR, CAR, CBOR, CCIM, SIOR, and BOMA they all need volunteers and input from membership, don’t hold out. This is a great business and with mutual respect for our fellow brokers, transactions will multiply “Ax the Tax” Coalition; The Michigan Association of REALTORS® has held a long position of opposing any tax on services as a means of solving the state budget deficit. Although the recently passed 6% service tax does not contain core REALTOR® services, many of the services to be taxed reach our members in some capacity. The MAR Board of Directors, along with the MAR Public Policy Committee voted in favor of joining forces with over 38 other business groups in an effort to repeal the recently-enacted service tax. The “Ax the Tax” Coalition formed to band together the business community in Michigan in an effort to repeal the job-killing service tax. Members of the “Ax the Tax” coalition are committed to working with the Legislature to repeal the sales tax on services before it goes into effect on Dec. 1, 2007. Should the legislature fail to act, the coalition is making plans to gather petition signatures and take the repeal directly to the voters through a statewide ballot effort. The coalition is kicking off their repeal efforts with a news conference on November 1st on the steps of the Capitol. Be sure to check your email and our Web site at www.mirealtors.com for new updates on the service tax repeal efforts. "With the fragile economy that Michigan is facing, this is not the time to add more taxes," said Bill Martin, MAR CEO. "These taxes will have a drastic impact on Michigan businesses and taxpayers. Business owners will have to make tough choices that may include closing up shop or moving out of the state." Martin continues, "The REALTOR® community in Michigan has worked hard to fight sales tax on services. We believed it was a bad idea when Gov. Granholm proposed it several years ago, and we still believe it’s a bad idea today. We want to see Michigan’s economy thrive again, and this is not the way to reach that goal." Calling All Art and Wine Lovers On Thursday, November 8th at 6 pm Michigan Regional CREW will host “Monet, Merlot and Moonlight” an elegant evening of fun at the Walnut Hills Country Club in Lansing. Tickets are only $20 in advance and $25 at the door. You will enjoy superb wines, wonderful hors d’ oeuvres and affordable art all while helping to support this CREW Chapter’s choice charity, Angel House along with three scholarship funds that go to students pursuing a real estate related career. For advance tickets, call 349-7200 or email debc@michiganequities.com. Save Money by Registering Early for Synergy Plans for Synergy 2008 are well underway. The event will take place April 23, 2008 at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. Registration has opened for the event and there are early-bird incentives. MiCAR President Receives National Recognition
CommercialSource Registration Opens This free online convention will be held Dec. 4–6, 2007. Speakers will present on commercial market trends and economic indicators. Visit the NAR Web site for more information.
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November 2007 • President's Letter • Calling all Art and Wine Lovers • Save Money by Registering Early for Synergy |
NAR - REALTORS® Commercial Alliance Resources |
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720 North Washington Avenue • P.O. Box 40725 • Lansing, Michigan 48901-7925
800.454.7842 • Fax: 517.334.5568 • Contact us • www.mirealtors.com
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