By Laura Weber, Michigan Public Radio Network
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkar/local-wkar-999381.mp3
LANSING, MI –
Republican leaders at the state Capitol say they have a lot of work they want to get to quickly when lawmakers return from their winter break this week. The GOP is expected to continue reshaping how the state brings in tax revenue. Michigan Public Radio's Laura Weber reports.
Republican lawmakers have been talking for several months about retooling or repealing Michigan's tax on businesses' office and factory equipment.
House Republican spokesman Ari Adler says getting rid of that tax would help improve the business climate in Michigan.
"It's a horribly designed tax and it really is a way to penalize businesses for investing in Michigan, and that's the wrong way to do things," he asserts.
But Adler says schools and local governments rely too heavily on the revenue from the tax to simply repeal it. He says finding a solution to that conundrum will be a priority for GOP leaders this year, along with overhauling the state's auto no-fault system and working on insurance coverage for autism treatments.
Democratic leaders in the House say they were largely ignored by Republicans during negotiations last year, and they want to be included more this year.