Southwest Michigan’s premier economic development group is pushing for better tax treatment for companies that want to put data farms in the state.
On Wednesday, Cornerstone Alliance president and CEO Rob Cleveland testified in favor of two bills that seek better tax treatment and exemptions on the sale, storage, use, or consumption of data center equipment.
“We are always looking for more tools in order to create new, higher-wage jobs for Michiganders.”
Cleveland says data centers have the potential to drive economic growth and foster innovation across the state.
“This legislation is not just a piece of the puzzle; it is the entire thing. Passing this single piece of legislation changes everything in terms of recruiting data centers. We immediately become a top state in data center attraction.”
Cornerstone Alliance is actively engaged in a project that, they say, could inject billions of dollars of new investment into Michigan’s economy.
Cornerstone highlights a recent study by Price Waterhouse Coopers showing that the data center industry added more jobs in 2022 than it did in all years from 2017 to 2021 combined.
Cleveland urged lawmakers to act because Michigan is poised to become the epicenter of the next data center boom.
“Now is precisely the right time to become aggressive in the competition for data centers, and this is the legislation needed to do it.”
