County Board addresses Severance Tax
After several months of voicing their concerns about the possible severance tax for mining in the U.P., the Marquette County Board was able to meet face to face with those directly handling the tax proposal.
Governor Rick Snyder’s administration is proposing a severance tax for nonferrous mining operations to replace other taxes they would pay under existing law. A 3 percent tax would be levied on the value of minerals removed from the ground. Revenue would be split by local governments and a new fund to support rural economic development projects. This tax targets precious metal operations such as the Kennecott Eagle Mine.
Many commissioners do not agree that this tax is fair to Marquette County.
No decisions were made tonight regarding the severance tax. These are just preliminary discussions with the representatives in Lansing.