POLL: MAJORITY SUPPORTS TAX PLAN

A slim majority supports Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s plan to shift the tax burden on Michigan businesses from manufacturing and re-search firms onto insurers, according to a poll commissioned by the Michigan Association of Insurance Agents.

The poll, conducted last month by EPIC-MRA, found that 51 percent of 600 respondents support the plan “given basic information,” but that figure jumps to 59 percent if the plan is revenue-neutral as Granholm, a Democrat, has claimed. The plan would raise insurers’ effective tax rate under Michigan’s complicated Single Business Tax from just over 1 percent to a straight 2 percent tax on premiums.

When told of the new premium tax, 45 percent said they were less likely to support Granholm’s SBT plan, while 22 percent said they were more likely to support it.