LANSING, MI (MPRN)-- Governor Rick Snyder has signed a tax overhaul that he says will encourage more mining in Northern Michigan. We have more from Michigan Public Radio’s Rick Pluta:
The new tax will be based on how much iron, nickel, copper and other metals are pulled from the ground and will replace a complicated hodgepodge of local taxes. Humboldt Township Supervisor Joseph Derosha says his region will benefit from a mining tax that’s simple and easy to understand.
“This tax will create new jobs across the Upper Peninsula and the state of Michigan," he says.
Humboldt Township, near Marquette, is home to a closed iron mine that’s about to re-open.
The U.P. has a 6.8 percent jobless rate, and 10,000 people looking for work. Most of the tax will stay with local governments. But part of it will go to a rural development fund that will help find new job opportunities after mines close.
For the Michigan Public Radio Network, I’m Rick Pluta at the state Capitol.