Governor Rick Snyder defends his tax overhaul, which has drawn a lot of criticism from the public in recent weeks, saying that he is confident that cutting taxes for Michigan businesses will create jobs. The Legislature approved his tax plan yesterday and it’s on its way to Snyder’s desk for his signature.
There are two overriding complaints from people who show up at the Capitol to protest the governor’s tax plan; one is proposed funding cuts to education, and the other is his sweeping tax reforms. Within that tax overhaul is a plan to tax future pensioners. Many people who oppose that measure say Governor Snyder is giving breaks to businesses at the expense of seniors.
Governor Snyder says he understands where their anger comes from.
“That’s human nature. I knew this was coming in terms of a negative reaction, and that’s one reason I ran for office, believe it or not. Not to say that I was looking for people to yell at me or come protest me.”
Snyder says the tax overhaul – which eliminates the Michigan Business Tax in favor of a profits tax on corporations – was necessary.
“No one liked our current business tax system. The Michigan Business Tax system is an absolute disaster. And I think that’s something we shouldn’t forget is; it’s not like we had a system that was working. We had the worst business tax ranked by many organizations as the worst in the country.”
But Governor Snyder says he knew he would have to make tough decisions to turn the state around. And he says everyone in the state will start to see the effects of his tax plan soon.
