Big box stores across Michigan are gaming the system on property taxes — threatening the core fiscal stability of townships in every corner of the state. Like the archetypal playground bully, major retailers are demanding tax refunds from some of Michigan’s most vulnerable communities, and they’re getting away with it under the tacit approval of the Snyder Administration.
Target, Home Depot, Lowes, Walmart, Meijer, and Menards are just a few of the corporate bullies cheating municipalities and school districts out of revenues, a feat accomplished with the help of the governor’s hand-picked five-member Michigan Tax Tribunal Court. And, this evil has been metastasizing across the state — taking hold among smaller corporations who are now arguing that they too deserve the same special treatment.
Retailers are employing the “dark store” argument to reduce their taxes. Here’s how the scam works: Developers propose construction projects that often include plans for multiple super-sized stores. Part of the pitch to local officials includes the enticement of increased revenues due to the development. Subsequently, the plans are approved, the boxes are built, and before the paint is dry on the LaGuardia tarmac proportioned parking lots — Bam — the mega-retailers file suit to have their taxes reduced to a level similar to that of abandoned structures in the community. The tax tribunal rubber-stamps the grievance, and carte blanche, grants their wish. Scam complete.
Rationale? They claim that their buildings are meant to be ephemeral, and therefore are depreciating at an accelerated rate. Worse than driving a shiny new car off the lot — these corporate thugs are demanding to be taxed as if they were already at the gates of the junk yard.
The negative impact on Michigan’s communities is deep and lasting. In 2013, a Meijer store in Okemos won a tax settlement from Meridian Township. The municipality was nicked for $320,165 by the megastore. The bulk of the money was pilfered from the Okemos Public School budget.
A Legislative Remedy on the Way?
Sen. Tom Casperson (R-38), Rep. Ed McBroom (R-108), and Rep. John Kivela (D-109) are poised to introduce legislation to rein-in the excesses of the big box bullies facilitated through the continued acquiescence of the state tax tribunal. As it stands, few of the thousands of municipalities in harm’s way have taken preventative measures at the local level. Some have made modest changes to their codes, and others have additionally written into the permitting process a requirement for developers to demolish abandoned structures in a timely manner and make the property whole again.
The repercussions of continued inaction at the state level will further put Michigan’s already fiscally distressed communities into untenable positions — contributing to the possibility of more shuttered schools, municipal bankruptcies and/or emergency management, worsening roads, decaying downtowns, and eventually creating more impoverished, high crime, low employment, food deserts.
It’s simply cheaper for these mega-retailers to walk away from a property and build elsewhere than to rework existing facilities. During the 2007 Walmart push to upgrade their stores, doubling their size to “supercenters”, they shuttered millions of square feet nationally, with Michigan being among the hardest hit — host to between 800,000 and 1,300,000 in square footage of ghost stores.
create a negative image of the town that deters new businesses and investment.
adopt a dark store ordinance.
All excellent suggestions for municipalities looking forward, but many communities in Michigan are already overwhelmed with shuttered stores. The Flint-area township of Mt. Morris is suffering a rash of big box and grocery store closures, leaving many members of that community of color unemployed and worried about where they will get their food. In the wake of both Kroger and Meijer shutting-down their stores, residents are now faced with substantial commutes for basic needs and groceries.
It’s time for Michigan lawmakers to put a stop to the big box dark store menace.
Learn more about other ways big box developers prey on Michigan’s townships: Bear Creek’s story HERE, Acme’s story HERE.
I never liked Snyder and I like him even less after reading what he has done to our state. People in Michigan have to wake up and start getting tuned into what is going on around them before it is too late.
We have an active network of people in Marquette working on this issue. We formed a group on Facebook SaveMQT SaveMI. We’ve work with local stores to help them get more people to shop locally. We started the B.R.I.T.E. Store initiative which involves a local store owner joining our group, we give them a decal to place in their front window identifying them. Our website lists all the stores and a bit about them so shoppers can zero in on stores who support the local community. We have been very vocal and visible here in Marquette County and will soon have a reception for B.R.I.T.E. Stores in Forsyth Township due to the fact that so many are community minded and a majority joined our group. While our Representatives in Lansing have picked up the banner now, they could have done so five years ago.
I was involved in a similar case with a Home Depot store in Breitung Township, Dickinson County which we later combined with a Lowe’s store in Marquette County. Not only did the Tax Tribunal along with the Michigan Court of Appeals rubber stamp this case, but twice, the Michigan Supreme Court refused to hear our appeal. These decisions are now having a huge statewide impact. One can only hope that those in a decision making capacity can come to their senses before the state goes broke.