Dear Friend,

Most caregiving comes informally and unpaid from family and friends. Not to mention, most families can?t afford to pay for aides, especially over long periods of time. Many middle-class families will shoulder the cost of providing care themselves because they don?t qualify for assistance programs.

That?s why earlier this year, when I presented my sixth executive budget recommendation, I proposed a plan to lower the costs of caregiving with the Caring for MI Family Tax Credit.

This new tax credit could save thousands of Michigan families up to $5,000 on their taxes. We know the burden of caregiving disproportionately benefits women and especially women of color. I remember when I became a member of the Sandwich Generation. I was taking care of my newborn daughter and my mom who was dying of brain cancer while also trying to juggle my new job in the state legislature. It felt insurmountable. We should have our family caregivers? backs. By allowing them to write up to $5,000 off their taxes for eligible expenses including counseling, transportation, nursing, or respite services, we can save our caregivers money and help them provide for their parents, children with long-term needs, or an aging or sick relative.

Michiganders who are caregivers have enough to worry about. They spend an average of $7,000 out-of-pocket on their loved ones a year, while juggling their own lives, families, and careers, taking a toll on caregivers. We owe it to them to help lower the cost of such a crucial and selfless act of service.

Please take a moment to fill out this survey below and tell us what the Caring for MI Family Tax Credit would mean to you and your family.

Let?s work together to get this done and ensure that everyone can ?make it? in Michigan.

Sincerely,

Gretchen Whitmer

Governor