Today, “prolific junk faxer” Perry Johnson repackaged the same misleading attack ad he launched last week, putting his millions behind broadcasting yet another attempt to distract from the solutions Governor Whitmer has been delivering to cut costs for Michigan families. To date, more than $5 million has been spent leveling false attacks on Whitmer’s leadership since the start of the 2022 cycle, half of which has come from the odd-quality guru.
As he did last week, the odd-quality guru exploits gas prices to blatantly mischaracterize how Governor Whitmer has worked to get relief at the pump. Here’s the truth:
By His Own Admission, Perry Johnson Has Employed the Deceptive Tactic of Making False Claims in Order to Elevate His Self-Funded Candidacy for Governor
Johnson has been spamming the airwaves with ads that “inflate his own role” within the auto industry – a bizarre claim even he had to concede was “a bit much” as it fully side-stepped the contributions made by “the people on the line that saved the auto industry.” He has also gotten caught trying to pass off stock footage from Russia and West Virginia to paint Michigan in a distorted negative light.
Johnson’s Business Operations Displayed His Backwards Sense of “Quality” That Included Sending Millions of Junk Faxes, Double-Dealing, Getting Suspended From Industry Boards, and Exploiting Prison Labor
Last month, Bridge Michigan took a look into Johnson’s companies, a detailed investigation which uncovered a number of shady, unethical, and illegal business practices that the off-kilter millionaire exploited to maximize his bottom line.
He notably manipulated both ends of quality control, “creat[ing] one company that taught businesses how to pass certification audits, and another that actually conducted those audits,” a conflict of interest mill that put him squarely “on the wrong side of ethics.” This double-dealing led to Johnson’s companies being suspended by both domestic and international quality accreditation boards alike.
Additionally, Johnson’s company relied on state prisoners to make telemarketing calls, touting that the incarcerated were secured “for half the price” of outsourcing to India.
Johnson also sent so many unsolicited fax ads for his companies – nearly 12 million over a nine-year period – that he made history as “one of the first in his industry sued for violating rules designed to stop them.”
Governor Whitmer Supports Suspending Taxes on Fuel
Johnson opens his ad by laying blame for gas prices at Governor Whitmer’s feet, but just like his outlandish claim that he’s responsible for creating every job in the auto industry, it’s severely misleading.
Governor Whitmer advocated for suspending state and federal taxes on fuel. Referring to it as a “fiscally-responsible action we can take that will provide drivers relief at the pump right now,” she called on Congress to lift the 18-cent federal gas tax. Whitmer has done the same locally, urging the Republican-led legislature to suspend the 6% sales tax on fuel.
Governor Whitmer Has Pushed for Several Proposals That Would Cut Taxes and Reduce Costs for Working Families Without Raising Taxes
Governor Whitmer has worked across the aisle to pass three balanced budgets and has never raised taxes. To put money back in the pockets of Michigan families, Governor Whitmer worked across the aisle to ink an “historic” bipartisan deal that has already begun sending $400 refund checks for every auto-insured vehicle in the state – a huge cost-saving reform that even top Republicans like Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey said “couldn’t have gotten done without her.”
And in February, she signed “a trio of bipartisan bills aimed at lowering the cost of prescription drugs,” adding to her proposal made in the beginning of the year to cap the monthly cost of insulin at $50 so Michiganders don’t have to choose between their health and keeping food on the table.
With Michigan seniors in mind, Governor Whitmer called on the legislature to fully repeal the pension tax which would save half a million households an average of $1,000 annually. Separately, Whitmer has also proposed more than tripling the Earned Income Tax Credit from 6% to 20%.
In December 2021, Governor Whitmer signed legislation allowing small business owners to pay income taxes at the business rather than individual level – a massive reform that will equal an estimated $200 million in annual tax savings for hundreds of thousands of eligible businesses. In another move to keep building gains for Michigan’s robust economic recovery, she also signed an economic package that included a $75 million tax cut for small businesses.