Michigan Credit Union League Home » Information Services » Publications » News Articles

Gov. Rick Snyder is wasting no time laying out his agenda to fix Michigan, presenting an aggressive plan to fix Michigan.

Snyder said in his first State of the State Address Wednesday that he wants the government to get out of the way of businesspeople. He suggested that the state engage in “economic gardening” – in other words, building up the businesses which are already here – rather than focusing on bringing new businesses to the state.

While Snyder officially announced that he wants to do away with the Single Business Tax and replace it with a straight 6-percent business tax, he didn’t address the state’s $1.8 billion budget shortfall.

While most of his predecessors have used a written speech, Snyder spoke from an outline, such as he has done at numerous other speeches during his run for governor.

A former businessman and entrepreneur, the Ann Arbor Republican replaces Democrat Jennifer Granholm, who served eight years.

One of the highlights of the address was Snyder's introduction of the "Michigan Dashboard," an online tool to help state officials and residents measure the state government's progress in several key areas, including the economy, health and public safety, quality of life and value for government. The dashboard can be found at www.michigan.gov/MiDashboard.