LANSING - The first bill introduced and passed by a legislative chamber in the 95th Legislature is a tax cut, as the Senate on Thursday gave 25-11 approval to SB 1 phasing out the nearly 22 percent surcharge on the Michigan Business Tax. The measure passed after Senate members debated the proposal for more than
LANSING - The threshold for penalizing companies for underestimating their Michigan Business Tax liability would change under legislation unanimously reported out of the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday. As substituted, SB 98 would essentially exempt a company from state penalties if it paid 80 percent of its MBT in quarterly payments for the 2008 tax
LANSING - A decision by President Barack Obama to order fast action on new rules requiring the automotive industry to meet tighter pollution and mileage standards, and to potentially allow individual states to set higher standards than the federal government, was more respectfully greeted by Michigan Democrats than Republicans, but the message was the same
NEW YORK - Pfizer Inc. hailed its planned $68 billion takeover of rival Wyeth as an ideal combination, but analysts say the deal will only partially solve some of the New York drug giant's long-term problems. The revenues generated by Wyeth's most attractive products, such as pediatric vaccine Prevnar, won't be sufficient to make up
ZEELAND - Economic development group Lakeshore Advantage has partnered with The Windquest Group - owned by Betsy and Dick DeVos - to offer a seed stage funding and incubator assistance to entrepreneurs who have exceptional technology and web application ideas. The catch is those entrepreneurs selected must agree to move to the greater Holland area
DETROIT - The Michigan Department of Transportation and Michigan International Speedway have partnered to work with the auto industry to develop connected vehicle technologies that could create jobs and growth opportunities for the state. MDOT and MIS have entered into a partnership to use and market the Brooklyn-based racetrack and its existing road course to
LONDON, U.K - comScore reported that total global Internet audience (age 15 and older from home and work computers) has surpassed 1 billion visitors in December 2008, based on data from the comScore World Metrix audience measurement service. The Asia-Pacific region accounted for the highest share of global Internet users at 41 percent, followed by
NEW YORK - Pfizer Inc. is in talks to acquire rival drug maker Wyeth in a deal that could be valued at more than $60 billion, said people familiar with the matter told the Wall Street Journal. A combination of these two U.S. pharmaceutical giants would redraw the boundaries of the global drug industry, which
SAN FRANCISCO - Salaries of tech professionals managed to spike up an average of 4.6 percent last year to $78,035, according to survey results released Thursday by tech career site Dice.com. The survey results, ironically, come at a time when companies across corporate America are announcing layoffs, freezing wages, and even going so far as
SEATTLE - Move over, Atlanta. Seattle, Microsoft and Amazon.com's home base, is now the country's most wired city. No cities in Michigan made the list, but two in Ohio cracked the top 30. While these marquee names have long lent the Emerald City tech-y cachet, it was Seattle's increased use of broadband that powered it