Michigan wants to charge $5 per retread!

Oct. 6, 2011

The state of Michigan has a solution on how to clean up retreaded tires on state highways: charge $5 per retread!

Michigan State Representative Douglas Geiss introduced House Bill No. 5037 on October 5th (see below for the full text). The Tire Retread & Repair Information Bureau (TRIB) already has been in contact with Representative Geiss' office.

"Once again, retreaded tires are being blamed for all the rubber on the road," says David Stevens, managing director of TRIB. "It's doubly ironic because, one, the University of Michigan conducted a study concluding retreaded tires were not the problem for roadside debris, and two, the bill plans to amend the Environmental Protection Act by damaging one of the most envrinomentally friendly products around."

Here are Geiss' contact details, thanks to TRIB:

Phone: (888) 737-4347

Email: [email protected]

Web page: http://022.housedems.com/

Mailing Address: Douglas A. Geiss, P.O. Box 30014, Lansing, MI 48909-7514.

"TRIB will stay on top of this matter and continue to educate Representative Geiss about the benefits of retreaded tires and correct his misconceptions about the causes and cures for rubber on the roads," adds Stevens.

Here is the text from House Bill No. 5037.

October 5, 2011, Introduced by Rep. Geiss and referred to the Committee on Regulatory Reform.

A bill to amend 1994 PA 451, entitled "Natural resources and environmental protection act," (MCL 324.101 to 324.90106) by adding part 176.

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

PART 176 RETREAD TIRES

Sec. 17601. As used in this part:

(a) "Department" means the department of treasury.

(b) "Tire" means a continuous solid or pneumatic rubber covering designed to encircle the wheel of a motor vehicle designed for on-road use.

(c) "Retread tire" means a used tire whose casing has been retreaded, recapped, or recased.

(d) "Retail seller" means a person who sells a retread tire in a retail transaction in the normal course of business.

Sec. 17603.

(1) Except as provided in subsection (2), a fee of $5.00 is imposed for each retread tire sold by a retail seller.

(2) A retail seller shall add the amount of the fee imposed by subsection (1) to the total price of the goods or services sold and shall indicate the fee separately on any sales receipt, invoice, or other record of the sale of the retread tire.

(3) A retail seller shall collect the fee imposed by subsection (1) from the purchaser. Not later than 30 days after the last day of a calendar quarter in which a fee is collected under this subsection by a retail seller, the retail seller shall remit the collected fees to the department with a completed return on a form prescribed by the department.

(4) A retail seller shall keep at its principal place of business a record of all of the following, reported on a quarterly basis:

(a) The total number of retread tires that the retail seller acquired for sale at retail.

(b) The total number of retread tires that the retail seller sold.

(c) The amount of fees collected under subsection (3).

Sec. 17605.

(1) The fee imposed by this part shall be administered by the department pursuant to 1941 PA 122, MCL 205.1 to 205.31, and this part. If the provisions of 1941 PA 122, MCL 205.1 to 205.31, and this part conflict, the provisions of this part apply.

(2) The department may promulgate rules to implement this part pursuant to the administrative procedures act of 1969, 1969 PA 306, MCL 24.201 to 24.328.

(3) Money collected by the department under section 17603 shall be deposited into the environmental protection fund created in section 503a and expended by the department of environmental quality upon appropriation only to support retread tire recycling, cleanup of roadside waste from deteriorated retread tires, and other recycling and litter cleanup in this state.