08/07/2006
Quote of the week
"We were unable to work things out with the vendors, and there was fundamental disagreement between the administration and Senator [Jason] Allen," said Kurt Weiss. "Senator Allen thought we were trying to interfere with the marketplace. We believed we were trying to close the digital divide by trying to create a better prepared workforce." -- Kurt Weiss, the governor's spokesperson for the Department of Information and Technology, commenting on why the governor has given up (for the time being) on getting the state of Michigan into the personal computer business. NFIB sees it the same way as Sen. Jason Allen (Traverse City) and has testified in his committee against the governor's MyPC proposal.
Legislature set to repeal Single Business Tax Wednesday of this week
The repeal of the much despised Michigan Single Business Tax has been a small-business dream since the day it was adopted almost 30 years ago, and since that time it has been a No. 1 goal for NFIB/Michigan. Although we are entering a very uncertain and dangerous time in the debate over business taxation (the replacement tax debate), we would be remiss if we did not take a moment to contemplate the significance of this event and celebrate the moment.
Keep in mind that because the Legislature is acting on the ballot initiative, passage will make the repeal law without the governor being involved. The governor had vetoed previous legislation to repeal the tax, opting instead for a plan to shift the tax to small business—a move that NFIB helped defeat in 2005.
Thank you all for your work on the issue, and I look forward to your support as we work for fairness in small-business taxation as the debate develops.
Issues in play this week
- Minimum wage and overtime issue
- SOS ballot proposal
- Michigan primary elections
- SBT repeal
- NFIB/Michigan State Report
- 2006 election strategy
Monday
NFIB/Michigan State Director Charlie Owens will be meeting with other business groups to discuss progress and strategy on fixing Michigan's minimum wage overtime problem and also the establishment of a lower training wage for workers under the age of 18.
Tuesday
Michigan primary elections are being held today. Members have been surveyed by fax on the "Stop Over Spending (SOS) Proposal" and results will be tabulated and included with a ballot proposal round-up piece being sent to all members ahead of the November elections. Owens will be meeting with all NFIB/Michigan field sales staff via conference call 6:30 a.m. this morning.
Wednesday
Owens will be working in the lobby most of the day during the scheduled attempt to repeal the Single Business Tax.
Thursday
Staff will be working on the copy for the October State Report publication.
Friday
Staff will be meeting with the NFIB/Michigan PAC chair to discuss primary results and upcoming general election strategy.
NFIB/Michigan is:
- Charlie Owens, State Director
- Keith Carey, Small-Business Lobbyist/Advocate
- Amanda Fisher, Regional Member Activism Coordinator
- Andrea Conarton, Administrative Assistant
NFIB/Michigan Phone: (517) 485-3409
