LANSING, Mich., Dec. 13, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Michigan Chamber of Commerce today applauded legislative action to establish a tax dispute resolution program that will allow Michigan taxpayers to work directly and more effectively with the Michigan Department of Treasury to resolve tax matters.

With state lawmakers putting their final stamp of approval on House Bill 4976 (State Rep. Jim Tedder), taxpayers will be able to settle tax disputes without having to engage in costly and unnecessary litigation. Governor Snyder is expected to sign into law the tax reform legislation advocated by the Michigan Chamber.

"Delivering powerful advocacy on behalf of members is a core pillar of the Michigan Chamber," said Jim Holcomb, Senior Vice President for Business Advocacy & General Counsel for the Michigan Chamber. "Chamber members brought to light the difficulties associated with settling tax disputes without incurring the high costs of litigation, so we led the charge in the legislative process to enact a meaningful solution that will have a beneficial impact for taxpayers and the State."

"To make the tax appeals process more cooperative and less expensive is a big win for individuals and business taxpayers across Michigan," said Dan Papineau, Director of Tax Policy for the Michigan Chamber. "Currently, in order to work with Treasury on an obvious and simple tax dispute, taxpayers have to bring in a lawyer and file a lawsuit against the state. This causes taxpayers and state government to incur unnecessary expenses."

"With this new program, taxpayers can point out what might be an obvious mistake made by Treasury, agree to a new assessment and pay the amount of tax that is due," noted Papineau.

Michigan Chamber President & CEO Rich Studley commended State Treasurer Nick Khouri for the constructive role he played in this effort to streamline and improve the tax appeals process. "When we initially discussed the difficulty that taxpayers had settling disputes with Treasurer Khouri, he and his team acknowledged the problem and worked cooperatively with stakeholders to develop a fair and balanced solution for taxpayers and state government," said Studley.

The Treasury Department has indicated that, after the Tedder bill is signed into law, Michigan taxpayers should see a prompt roll out of the new alternative tax dispute resolution program.

The Michigan Chamber of Commerce is a statewide business organization representing approximately 6,400 employers, trade associations and local chambers of commerce. The Michigan Chamber represents businesses of every size and type in all 83 counties of the state. The Chamber was established in 1959 to be an advocate for Michigan's job providers in the legislative, political and legal process. It is one of only six state chambers accredited by the U.S. Chamber and one of only four state chambers accredited with distinction.

SOURCE Michigan Chamber of Commerce