Nik Rajkovic / news@whmi.com

An effort to eliminate property taxes in Michigan will need hundreds of thousands of petition signatures to make it onto the 2024 statewide ballot.

Karla Wagner is with AxeMITax, which estimates the constitutional amendment would save Michigan taxpayers about $14 billion a year, and help keep people in their homes amid rising values.

“We want to eliminate the government’s ability to seize people’s houses and basically put them out in the street, or force them to sell their house, because they can’t afford a property tax bill,” she told WHMI News.

Critics argue the proposal would gut public schools, libraries, museums and zoos, but Wagner argues her group has outlined ways to make up the difference by directing a greater share of revenue from state income taxes, sales taxes and so-called "sin" taxes to cities, townships and counties — but only for "essential government and infrastructure services."

“On that property tax bill, there’s so many services that people don’t use. yet they’re forced to pay for them. if they can’t pay for them, they lose their house, their farm or their business,” Wagner added.