LANSING - In a meeting marked by alarms over lost revenue and confrontational politics, the Michigan House Tax Policy Committee gave unanimous approval Thursday to a bill easing the tax liability for a wide array of companies under the Michigan Business Tax. Discussions were to continue over how to replace the lost revenue - some
LANSING - Ten years after Michigan's Department of State launched online renewal for vehicle and watercraft license plates, some 4.6 million online transactions have been recorded, including more than 4.4 million vehicles. Records continue to be set as more people choose to do business with the department online. In March, there were 95,808 vehicle and
LANSING - Michigan Legislative leaders and the governor approved target figures for the 2008-09 budget Wednesday, which include a 2 percent increase to revenue sharing as well as a slight hike for the state's community colleges and public universities, with conference committee work beginning early Thursday. The agreement calls for across-the-board decreases for departmental budgets.
LANSING - Environmental groups got many of the protections they wanted for groundwater in the state, and business groups got the certainty of knowing how much water they could use under an agreement announced late Monday by the chairs of the two legislative committees addressing the Great Lakes Compact. The package, which will end up
LANSING - A major part of Michigan's second largest industry could face a rough season, as the troublesome weather is expected to mean far lower yields of the state's famous fruit crops. With the exception of blueberries, which could see a record output, total harvest of fruit in Michigan is expected to be down considerably,
BATTLE CREEK - Battle Creek Unlimited, a business development and funding group, has announced a partnership that will help start-up businesses in southwestern Michigan get up and running. BCU in partnership with Factotem, a business accelerator and design-build company, will build a virtual business incubator. The incubator will provide a comprehensive array of tools, links,
LANSING ? Michigan Drivers under age 19 who have a crash because they were using their cell phone while driving could lose the right to talk and drive, Secretary of State Terri Land announced Thursday. Under Land's order, any teen driver still under the graduated driver's license or still on probation could have a restriction
LANSING - After getting a late start on implementation, the Department of Treasury is on track to have annual Michigan Business Tax forms ready this fall, the Senate Finance Committee was told Thursday. But being able to meet all deadlines for companies to file their annual returns for the new tax will depend on the
LANSING - A newly passed law requires private detectives and investigators to be licensed by the State of Michigan. In addition to traditional "gumshoes," the law also applies to those engaged in investigating "computer forensics" such as the consultant your organization might retain to assist you in the event of a network security breach. The
DETROIT - General Motors, Ford Motor Company and Chrysler take note. On Sunday, Honda begun the first commercial production of a hydrogen fuel cell-powered car that gets the equivalent of 74 miles per gallon and its only byproduct is steam. The car will only be offered initially in California and Japan. The four-door sedan, called