Employers can help make EITC expansion a success
Terrific news from Lansing. Starting with the 2022 tax year the state match for the federal Earned Income Tax Credit is now 30 percent up from six percent. A historic win for Michigan’s working families and Michigan employers. Michigan goes from one of the least generous state matches of the federal EITC to one of […]
EITC expansion not quite complete
One more important step to go to complete the historic expansion of the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit. Starting with the 2022 tax year the state match for the federal credit is now 30 percent up from six percent. A huge win for Michigan’s working families! Expanding Michigan’s EITC from six to 30 percent provides […]
Foundation skills in the age of Artificial Intelligence
A little more than three years ago the Grand Rapids Public Museum hosted Outsmarting the Robots: Redesigning education from the classroom to the halls of Lansing. The conference was organized around the question “How do we redesign our system for learning to build the 21st century skills that matter to meeting the needs of our children, economy, society, and world?” […]
Minnesota is a successful high tax state
Minnesota is a high tax state. Has been for decades. Minnesota is the Great Lakes States best in economic well being and demographic outcomes. Has been for decades. Michigan is not a high tax state. Its taxes per capita far lower than Minnesota’s. Minnesota is far ahead of Michigan in all well being and demographic […]
Minnesota has not lost a congressional seat in six decades
For nearly two decades we have urged Michigan economic policy makers to use Minnesota as a model. Because Minnesota across the board has the Great Lakes best economic outcomes. From low unemployment to high labor force participation to better than the nation personal income and education attainment Minnesota is far ahead of Michigan. We also […]
The case for a 60 percent EITC
A year and half ago the Michigan Future Board proposed that the state expand its Earned Income Tax Credit tenfold. Going from a 6 percent match of the federal credit to 60 percent. This is at a time, when despite unprecedented federal funding and a multi billion dollar state budget surplus, expanding the EITC was […]
Higher education attainment means more work and higher wages
The Bureau of Labor Statistics each year publishes a chart that details the unemployment rate and median weekly earnings by education attainment for those 25 and older who work full time. The data for 2121 are below. Year after year the same story. (For instance this post on the 2013 data.) Each time new data […]
Now is the time to expand Michigan’s EITC
Now is the time to expand Michigan’s EITC (Earned Income Tax Credit). Michigan’s low-wage workers need help paying the bills now. Michigan employers having trouble finding enough workers to operate and expand their enterprises also need help now. Immediate expansion of the state’s EITC is the best way of accomplishing both. Expanding Michigan’s EITC from […]
Learning from Florida: 3rd grade reading mandates don’t work
This post reruns a 2017 post by our former colleague Pat Cooney entitled the Problem with 3rd grade reading mandates. In it Pat lays out the evidence that 3rd grade reading mandates don’t work and offers an alternative that does achieve the goal of all students gaining strong literacy skills and a love of reading, […]
Michigan needs a General Motors 2030 economic development strategy
In 1979 General Motors employed 468,000 American hourly workers. 76 percent of their U.S. workforce. In 2021 General Motors employed 45,000 American hourly workers. 46 percent of their U.S. workforce. Today 24,000 work at the General Motors Global Technical Center in Warren. Their average annual salary is $120,000. Around double what their highest paid hourly […]