LANSING, MI (AP)-- Democrat Mark Schauer is centering his populist message against Republican Governor Rick Snyder around a 3-year-old tax overhaul that lowered the burden on business but raised it on individuals.
To Snyder, the rewrite simplified the tax code, made it fairer and improved Michigan's competitiveness and job creation efforts by scrapping a "dumb" business tax and replacing it with a flat corporate tax.
To Schauer, Snyder hurt the "wrong people" by asking pensioners, homeowners, low-income earners and taxpayers with children to pay more.
To court the prized seniors' vote, Schauer is focusing much of his criticism on Snyder's "job-killing pension tax." He says it's unfair.
Snyder counters that it's fair because retirement income is now being treated similarly regardless of whether someone has a government pension, private pension, 401(k) or IRA.