LANSING - Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is starting off with $264.7 million more in state revenues than previously expected this fiscal year and $225 million more than previously estimated in state revenue for her first budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020. But the agreement reached Friday at the Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference (CREC) still amounts to
LANSING - Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has asked the state to adopt policies to increase the contracts the state awards to "geographically disadvantaged businesses" so as to expand business opportunities in "low-income communities and underutilized business areas." In her eighth executive directive issued since she's taken office, Whitmer said she wants the Michigan Department of Technology,
LANSING - Former Michigan Lt. Governor Brian Calley has been named president of the Small Business Association of Michigan. Current SBAM president and CEO Rob Fowler will remain the organization’s CEO. “We could not be happier or more excited to welcome Brian and to work with him in the fight to support Michigan small businesses
LANSING - The alteration in the standard deduction and how taxpayers have been accustomed to using it may be the single most important factor for tax planning into 2019. The increase in the standard deduction is designed to simplify taxes for millions of tax payers. So rather than itemizing deductions, some taxpayers will instead just
LANSING - Nearly 250,000 Michigan "Flow-Through" business organized as S Corporations or partnerships could claim state income tax exemptions under legislation that the Senate unanimously passed Thursday. Under the 2017 U.S. Tax Cut, "Flow-Through entities" lost their ability to deduct what they pay in state income taxes. C Corporations, by contrast, did not lose that
LANSING – Banks, businesses, government agencies and nonprofits that suffer a data security breach would have 45 days to inform all of their impacted customers, under a pair of bills reported out of the House Financial Services Committee Wednesday. HB 6405 and HB 6406, sponsored by Committee Chair Diana Farrington (R-Utica) and Rep. Joseph Graves
LANSING - Today in the United States, women business owners are gaining ground like never before — and there’s no letup in sight! But with a series of barriers to face, many women entrepreneurs still have a long way to go. Download a copy of the e-book "Being a Woman Business Owner" to gain insight
LANSING - Sen. Mike Shirkey (R-Clarklake), the likely next Senate Majority Leader if Republicans maintain control, has heard the bleak forecasts about Democrats possibly riding a blue wave into majority this November. He's not buying it. The Jackson County Republican was admittedly nervous after August primary numbers showed strong Democratic turnout numbers in suburban Michigan. But
LANSING - The Small Business Association of Michigan conworked with Rep. Donna Lasinski (D-Scio Twp.) on creating a four-piece legislative package designed to give Michigan small businesses a leg up on state contracts while helping aspiring entrepreneurs get off the ground. While SBAM Executive Director Rob Fowler said details may need to be worked out on
LANSING - 2018 has been an interesting year for Facebook. Earlier this year, the company decided to drop a bomb and overhaul their popular News Feed feature, arguably the “heartbeat” of Facebook. Some marketers are viewing it as the News Feed Apocalypse, while others see it as a necessary evolution as the network continues to expand
