Man, the LSJ is on a roll!
The Grand Rapids millionaire has previously said he's eager to sign a petition to put the SBT repeal on the ballot, but hasn't offered a hint on how state government will make up the lost revenue.
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DeVos would do well to reconsider this Nixonesque answer. Remember presidential candidate Richard Nixon declaring he had a "secret plan" to secure peace in the Vietnam War?
Michigan doesn't need any secret plans to end the SBT without squaring the other side of the equation. With the SBT gone, the state will have to either replace about $1.9 billion in lost taxes, or cut that amount from current spending.
DeVos owes Michigan residents a detailed answer.
Granholm recently vetoed legislation that would repeal the SBT next year. The veto was proper, because the governor correctly pointed out the Republican-controlled Legislature had no answer for the lost money.
Neither does DeVos, apparently.(emphasis added)
A clarification: the Single Business Tax issue only goes before voters in November IF the Legislature fails to approve the initiative first (with no gubernatorial veto). If they do pass it, it goes into effect WITHOUT the approval of Governor Granholm, and WITHOUT going before voters. And let's not forget, Brooks still needs to purchase the required number of signatures by May 31.
UPDATE by Matt:
The newspaper of my West Michigan ancestors, the Muskegon Chronicle, doesn't think The Amway Guy's "secret plan" is so hot either:
In our view, DeVos and the Republicans have the harder case to make.
DeVos has been relatively silent on the recent Granholm veto of the Single Business Tax legislation by the House and Senate, which would have eliminated this onerous burden on business after 2007, saying only that we need lower taxes and balance these with "tough spending cuts" that he won't specify. In the case of the SBT, the Legislature tried to kill it without negotiating a replacement for the billions that would be lost. To us, and to Granholm, this was the height of irresponsibility.
We don't doubt that a "Gov." DeVos and an equally GOP-dominated Legislature would have worked things out more amicably. However, voters need to hear exactly how the SBT would be replaced and with what. Neither DeVos nor the GOP will say at this time.
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