Governor Gretchen Whitmer on Aug. 23 was joined by leaders of the Protect Michigan Commission and Michigan Education Trust to announce all remaining winners in the MI Shot To Win Sweepstakes, a lottery-style raffle that gave fully vaccinated Michiganders a chance to win more than $5 million in cash and a combined total of nearly $500,000 in college scholarships. 

“Thanks to every Michigander who got their shot, the MI Shot To Win Sweepstakes has been a success and we are continuing to make progress in keeping our families and communities safe,” said Governor Whitmer. “But our work is not done. We are going to keep making efforts to reach people where they are, answer their questions and help them get their shots. If we work together, I know we can get this done and continue our economic jumpstart.” 

During a news conference on July 1, Governor Whitmer announced the launch of the sweepstakes alongside the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, Michigan Association of United Ways, Michigan Association of State Universities, and Blue Cross Blue Shield. 

While the summer months historically report lower vaccination rates, the MI Shot to Win Sweepstakes helped Michigan reverse that trend during a critical period of time before the more infectious Delta variant became the dominant strain of COVID-19. Michigan recorded week-to-week increases for first dose vaccinations throughout July during the sweepstakes: 

• July 4-10 28,000 first doses administered 
• July 11-17 30,000 first doses administered 
• July 18-24 35,000 first doses administered 
• July 25-30 41,000 first doses administered 

The sweepstakes helped increase the state’s vaccination rates from 61% to 63%, supporting the climb toward the state’s goal of a 70% vaccination rate. Michigan’s vaccination rate now exceeds 65%, according to state’s most recent data on the COVID-19 Vaccine Dashboard. 

Over that same July time span, more than 2.4 million Michiganders signed up to win cash prizes and over 106,000 Michiganders entered to win scholarships. The media coverage from the sweepstakes also generated more than $7 million in free publicity about the importance of getting one of the three safe and effective vaccinates.  

“The sweepstakes and news coverage helped spur conversations between families and friends about the sweepstakes,” said Protect Michigan Commission Director Kerry Ebersole Singh. “Several winners who were previously unvaccinated before the sweepstakes said they were inspired to get their vaccinations based on those discussions and the prizes they could win.” 

Read more to learn about the prize winners.

With identity thieves continuing to target the tax community, Internal Revenue Service Security Summit partners today urged tax professionals to learn the signs of data theft so they can react quickly to protect clients.

 The IRS, state tax agencies and the tax industry – working together as the Security Summit – reminded tax professionals that they should contact the IRS immediately when there’s an identity theft issue while also contacting insurance or cybersecurity experts to assist them with determining the cause and extent of the loss.

“There are tell-tale signs of identity theft that tax pros can easily miss,” said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig. “Identity thieves continue to look for ways to slip into the systems of tax pros to steal data. We urge practitioners to take simple steps and remain on the lookout for signs of data and identity theft. They are a critical first line of defense against identity theft.”

Knowing the signs of identity theft is the final part of a five-part series sponsored by the Summit partners to highlight critical steps tax professionals can take to protect client data. This year’s theme “Boost Security Immunity: Fight Against Identity Theft,” focused on urging tax professionals to try harder to secure their systems and protect client data during this pandemic and its aftermath.

This summer-time Summit series, now in its sixth year, highlighted the protections offered by multi-factor authentication and key security steps, the use of the Identity Protection PIN for clients, scams to steal unemployment benefits and the dangers of phishing email/text scams.

Read more of this article on LinkedIn.

The Michigan Department of Treasury's Tax Policy Division has issued the August 2021 edition of the Treasury Update. Previous editions are available in the Treasury Update archive.

For questions or ideas for future newsletter or Revenue Administrative Bulletin topics, or suggestions for improving Treasury Update, please email Treas_Tax_Policy@michigan.gov.

The Michigan Department of Treasury recently announced that the Offer in Compromise (OIC) Team is moving from the Collections Services Bureau to the Office of Taxpayer Advocate (TPA), effective July 11. Our commitment to customer service and continuous improvement has us constantly looking for opportunities to improve the service we deliver to our customers and we see this as an exciting opportunity to do just that.

TPA is a resource of last resort for Michigan taxpayers. The TPA team is focused on protecting taxpayer's rights and ensuring Treasury's processes are fairly administered. Similarly, OIC is a resource of last resort for those who do not have the financial means to pay collections debts, or those who claim they do not actually owe debts for various reasons.

Combining the work of TPA and OIC makes sense as both areas provide services focused on helping taxpayers – individuals and businesses – resolve tax matters that they were not able to resolve through Treasury's normal channels.

The OIC team has been focused on Continuous Improvement (CI) over the past few years and have made many positive changes for taxpayers. Improvements include revising the tracking system, developing an OIC bootcamp for new hires, creating checklists to help applicants accurately complete the applications, and creating a collectability manual which resulted in decreasing process time.

The new TPA team will continue the ongoing commitment to CI projects and ensuring taxpayer's rights are protected and Treasury's processes are fairly administered by providing tax-debt forgiveness where appropriate and increasing continued compliance.

The roughly 250 people who attended the Michigan Education Trust's ninth annual Pizza Party on the Michigan State Capitol Lawn got their fill of pizza and helped fill the Fostering Futures Scholarship Trust Fund, which awards scholarships to students enrolled in Michigan college and universities who have experienced foster care.

The $1,300 raised at the Thursday, Aug. 5, Pizza Party of the Capitol Lawn will help make the dream of a college education a reality for students who otherwise might lack resources to pursue higher education when they age out of the foster care system.

For a minimum donation of $5, attendees received pop and pizza provided by Hungry Howie's and cookies.

In addition, 100 pillows were collected during the Pizza Party for The Pillow Effect, a Michigan Youth Opportunities Initiative (MYOI) project. The MYOI - a partnership involving the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative and other local partners - aims to ensure successful outcomes for young adults as they transition out of foster care.

Because children entering foster care often don't have their essential personal items with them, The Pillow Effect provides pillows to foster care youth in Berrien, Calhoun, Clinton/Eaton, Ingham, Ionia/Montcalm, Jackson, Livingston and Macomb counties.

The Pizza Party on the Capitol Lawn was sponsored by Hungry Howie's, Independent Bank and MSU Federal Credit Union.

About MET Charitable Tuition Program

The MET Charitable Tuition Program is a way for an organization or individual to purchase from one to four years of college for a deserving individual in Michigan at a discounted price. Charitable tuition contracts cost less than a traditional MET contract, but still enjoy the benefits of locking in tomorrow's tuition at today's rates. Individuals also have the opportunity of helping eligible foster care students attend college. Contributions of any dollar amount can be made and will go toward providing scholarships to foster care students at Michigan public colleges who meet academic and/or need-based criteria established by the colleges.

About MET

Administered by the Michigan Department of Treasury, MET is Michigan's Section 529 prepaid tuition program that locks future tuition at any of the State's public universities and colleges, at today's rates. Contributions are eligible for a Michigan income tax deduction and grow tax-free if used for qualified expenses. MET contracts are portable to Michigan private and out-of-state colleges and universities and may be transferred to other eligible family members. More than 90 percent of high school graduates with MET contracts have attended a college or university.

More information about MET is available at SETwithMET.com or 800-MET-4-KID (800-638-4543).

Tom Webster, former financial analyst with the Michigan Education Trust (MET) passed away in May 2021 after a battle with cancer. A quiet, dedicated, true public servant, Tom took his job seriously and met every task with passion and conviction. He believed in being a part of the team that provides options to Michigan families for planning and saving for college.

He worked well with MET colleagues and some fondly referred to him as “St. Thomas” because of the prayerful meditation that was the start of his day; Tom sought guidance to ensure he carried out his work assignments in the right way. 

Tom was a great asset to the MET family as well as to his church, Mt. Hope Church Williamston, where he could be seen sitting on a bench outside the church greeting members as they came in for service. Tom shared his expertise with numbers and his love for reading through his work in the Church’s library; he and his wife Susan were well loved.

MET is a family of compassionate and giving people who step up to the plate to help each other in need. They have gone the extra mile to look out for one another; this is also the case with Tom. MET and a few friends from the Bureau wanted to do something that would be a lasting memorial, so they pitched in and raised funds to purchase a bench with a plaque that read: “In loving memory, Tom Webster, your loving family, MET.” 

The bench was presented to Susan Webster and Mt. Hope Church Williamston on Sunday, Aug. 1, 2021. Persons available for the presentation were Pastor Matthew and Karla Mangan, Susan Webster and MET staff, Diane Brewer, Joe Asghodom, and Flora Boles.

In a time when we are faced with so many challenges, it is good to see the outpouring of kindness from fellow employees.

MI Student Aid is the go-to resource for student financial aid in Michigan. Want to learn more about how to make college attainable? Visit our website at michigan.gov/mistudentaid or give us a call at 1-888-447-2687.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer recently announced the appointment of Robert H. Cinabro, of Kalamazoo, to the Municipal Stability Board.

Cinabro is the retired Kalamazoo city attorney and city commissioner and is the owner of Richard H. Cinabro PLC. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Kalamazoo College and a Juris Doctor degree from Cornell Law School.

“I am deeply honored that the Governor has given me the opportunity to join the Municipal Stability Board,” Cinabro said. “In these challenging and at times uncertain days, the careful and compassionate monitoring and protection of retiree legacy benefits of our local units of government is of paramount priority. I stand ready to assist the Treasury Department and staff, and my esteemed colleagues on the board, as much as I am able.”

Cinabro is appointed to represent employees and retirees for a term commencing June 30, 2021 and expiring May 1, 2024. He succeeds Barry Howard whose term expired May 1, 2020.  

The Municipal Stability Board is housed within the Michigan Department of Treasury and was created to review and update a list of best practices and strategies that will assist an underfunded local unit of government in developing a corrective action plan, and to review and vote on the approval of an action plan submitted by a local unit of government. 

The Protecting Local Government Retirement and Benefits Act (Public Act 202 of 2017) increases reporting and transparency around defined benefit pension and retiree health care for local governments.

This appointment not subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.

The Michigan Department of Treasury is currently reviewing applications submitted by Non-Entitlement Units (NEUs) of local government and a status update is now available on the Michigan.gov/ARPA website. This document will be updated each week.

The Michigan Department of Treasury has received more than 90% of NEU submissions.

Those NEUs that have not submitted can still apply and are strongly encourage to not wait and request their federal dollars from the Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (CLFRF) through the ELITE system portal. The Michigan Department of Treasury has developed detailed instructions and a video for accepting or declining dollars from the CLFRF.

NEU Payment Status

NEUs can go to Michigan Department of Treasury’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) webpage to obtain their status update through a new online-summary file.

There are seven statuses that a NEU could have:

1. Application - Not Started
2. Application - In Progress
3. Application - Received Pending Audit Review
4. Audit Completed - Approved
5. Audit Completed - Resubmission Required
6. Payment - In Progress
7. Payment - Complete

A NEU’s chief administrative officer and contact person will receive an email if the application is accepted after review or if resubmission is required.

Payments to a NEU will occur after all application requirements have been met and after a Michigan Department of Treasury review. At this time, the first payments are anticipated to be issued in September.

Questions? Comments?

More information and resources on CLFRF are available at Michigan.gov/ARPA.

Questions regarding the CLFRF can be directed to the Michigan Department of Treasury by e-mail at Treas-ARPA@michigan.gov.

On Aug. 18, 2021, the Michigan Department of Treasury issued new Principal Residence Exemption (PRE) Guidelines. The new Guidelines are a major update to the previously issued Guidelines. Please use and refer taxpayers to the new Guidelines. A copy of the new Guidelines can be found at Michigan.gov/PRE under "Guidelines and FAQs."

Treasury would like to take the time to recognize all the assessors, treasurers, and other stakeholders who provided suggestions and comments regarding the Guidelines. The department appreciates the suggestions, comments and hard work.

Treasury staff members are available to assist and answer questions regarding the new Guidelines or PRE-related questions. 

The following are key contacts:

PRE Unit Phone Number: (517) 335-7487
PRE Unit E-mail Address: PRE@michigan.gov

State Tax Commission
PO Box 30471
Lansing, Michigan 48909-7971
Phone: 517-335-3429
Fax: 517-241-1650
Email: State-Tax-Commission@michigan.gov

Michigan Department of Treasury is happy to announce the selection of Sean Caswell as departmental manager 14, Operations Division, Technology Systems Support area, effective Aug. 8, 2021. Sean joined the Tax Compliance Bureau-Operations Division in 2020 as a Departmental Analyst on the Data Analytics and Governance team.

Caswell holds a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University in Applied Engineering Sciences and brings extensive project management experience to his new role. Sean has thorough technical knowledge of applications and software support and implementations; his background in the private sector as an Operations Manager ETL Developer and Data Analyst, along with prior service as a Navy Petty Officer, will serve him well in his new leadership role with Treasury’s Tax Compliance Bureau.

Congratulations to John Barton and Dave Boyne for their teamwork as it related to the refinancing of the student loan bonds. Their work and coordination of deliverables was instrumental in ensuring this complex transaction was finalized producing significant savings. Without the heavy lift that was necessary to move this forward, Michigan Finance Authority (MFA) would not have been able to complete the transaction.

The MFA embarked on a Student Loan refinancing that refunded the Series 22-B, 2015-I and 2016-I outstanding bonds. London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) is scheduled to be phased out in June 2023 and MFA refinanced the three remaining LIBOR based bonds and notes into a single transaction to provide for the cessation of LIBOR, better alignment of the expected life of the pledged loans to that of the proposed underlying debt, resolution of the 22-B APO (acquired purchase obligation) liability to the IRS, and the release of excess assets to reduce the 2021 debt issuance.