Why is a conservative Republican Legislature enacting a pro-business agenda that breaks the mold by embracing Right to Work laws? Because the GOP has the votes in the House and Senate to put it on Gov. Rick Snyder’s desk for his signature. Control all three legs of the stool and you can craft law on […]
Rick Snyder
Posted inPhil's Column
Michigan still needs action on schools, universities, Detroit
It is what it is. I am referring, of course, to the political firestorm that has engulfed Michigan ever since Gov. Rick Snyder announced he would sign Right To Work (or Freedom To Work, if you prefer) when legislation ending the union shop reaches his desk. Naturally, we all wish we could live in a […]
Posted inLand O Links
Land O Links — RTW edition
Michigan’s dash to become the 24th Right to Work state — and the physical and political turmoil in Lansing last week surrounding it — drew plenty of attention from the national media. * In “Rick Snyder, Michigan’s reluctant union-buster,” Alec MacGillis of The New Republic wrote, “For now, we’re left with Rick Snyder, the Hamlet of […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
Is Michigan too light on tax lures?
How many economic development incentives does Michigan need to compete for jobs and business investment? A debate is raging over that question since Gov. Rick Snyder largely shifted the state’s economic development efforts away from trying to buy jobs from other states to helping Michigan companies grow, a process he calls “economic gardening.” Soon after […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
Business recruiters watch changes in Michigan incentives with concern
Local economic developers say they’re worried that Michigan isn’t spending enough on incentives to compete in the increasingly expensive fight among the states for jobs and business investment. Gov. Rick Snyder’s administration has ended the state’s practice of handing out expensive business tax credits, which cost the state nearly $1 billion a year, in favor […]
Posted inPeter Luke: Eye on the Capitol
Give Snyder credit for trying to juggle tax changes
After years of thinking up new ways to attract business with special deals, Michigan appears intent on getting out of the big money incentive game by engineering a tax code in which there is little left to abate. Before it was repealed last year, lawmakers had created some 60 exemptions in a Michigan Business Tax […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
Interest high in Right to Work; gains unclear
Gov. Rick Snyder has engaged in some shuttle diplomacy in recent days, talking with opponents and supporters of Right to Work, which limits requirements for participation in union activities by employees. RTW is something the governor has repeatedly said is divisive and not on his agenda, yet the idea has been the subject of much […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
State bets big for jobs; gains are expensive
An economic development program created by Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s administration has spent more than $400 million in creating about 2,300 jobs. That’s about $175,000 per job. Rather than kill the program that critics said has a poor job-producing record, Gov. Rick Snyder is expanding the scope of the 21st Century Jobs Fund. The Jobs Fund […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
Job-creation push spawns flurry of numbers, opinions
Comparing various kinds of economic development initiatives for their impact on jobs and economic growth often isn’t easy. And that’s especially true for two primary incentive programs Michigan has used in recent years; the Michigan Economic Growth Authority and the 21st Century Jobs Fund. MEGA was a fairly straightforward tax credit program used from 1995 […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
Governors run after companies, waving dollars
Governors can’t resist using their economic development agencies to try to pick business winners and losers in the economy, even when they say they are opposed to doing so. Gov. James Blanchard bankrolled efforts to grow biotechnology and advanced manufacturing industries in the state, with mixed results. His successor, Gov. John Engler, heavily invested in […]
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