The number of city taxpayers declines every single year [[and faster than the rate of population decline). There will eventually be no discernible tax base left, so don't worry about whether or not we should have a tax cut or elimination; the taxes are eliminating the taxable...

Seriously, though, the city income tax is a serious impediment to the city's future. Having to pay several extra percent in taxes versus what you'd pay living just a few miles away does have an impact on people considering a move to Detroit. More significantly, though, it is a strong reason for current residents to leave the city. Move a few miles and give yourself a raise! This also doesn't take into account every single suburb has better municipal services than Detroit. Or that Detroit's income tax is compounded by terribly high property taxes.

Detroit's income taxes are part of the Unholy Trinity that brings Detroit down [[but that Detroit can remedy, if the people are willing to):
1) High taxes
2) Terrible schools [[or virtual non-schools to judge by graduation and literacy rates)
3) High crime

A city council willing free itself from political baggage and fears of reprisal could fix the top two problems in a single day [[admittedly, fixing schools would take years for results to truly take hold; the state legislature would also need to free some of the restrictions on school vouchers that exist today, too). The third problem will never be "fixed" per se, in that there will always be crime; but serious and modern law enforcement practices would bring murder and drug crimes down dramatically in a few years [[like so many cities have done).

Mayor Bing is a little more reform-minded than KK or DA, but it will take significant change to undo more than 50 years of bad laws and administration.