Governor Rick Snyder says he respects the views of people protesting against his budget proposals. Many people have crowded the Capitol lawn this week to stand against Snyder’s plan to tax pensions. The governor says he understands their frustration, but he says a tax on pensions – done the right way – is only fair.
"We’re really looking at the issue for people to have a pension of how to address it at the lower income levels, as we would any citizen. So it’s really people with higher incomes that would be subject to the tax, and it’s an equity issue in many respects. We have an aging population, and we can’t shift this burden on our young people.”
Snyder spoke with a group of business leaders at Jackson National Life Insurance in Okemos this morning. He says it’s important to create an attractive business atmosphere in Michigan to keep young people interested in working and living in the state.
The Lansing State Journal reports Protests are continuing at Michigan's state Capitol over a variety of proposals that could affect union bargaining power and the state budget plan offered by Republican Gov. Rick Snyder. Union members are among those gathering on the Capitol lawn today. The afternoon rally is expected to be bigger than one Tuesday that drew more than 1,000 people, mostly concerned about a plan to tax pensions.
