Founded in 1940 to represent the retail industry on a sales tax issue in the Michigan Legislature, MRA has continued its keen focus on legislative affairs. The association works to secure passage of retail-friendly legislation in Michigan and protect the retail industry from costly and harmful taxes and regulations.
Key Michigan Retailers Association advocacy accomplishments:
- Pre-empted local governments from passing ordinances and policies dealing with employee wages and benefits
- Prohibited local product bans or local taxes on plastic bags, food and beverages
- Enacted Main Street Fairness and Marketplace legislation to help level the playing field for Michigan retail businesses by ensuring Michigan sales tax is collected fairly on every purchase
- Modernized the state’s costly and burdensome item pricing law by giving retailers price marking flexibility and saving retailers and consumers money
- Cracked down on organized retail crime through passage of the Organized Retail Crime Act and creation of the Organized Retail Crime Advisory Board
- Pro-retail changes in sales tax collection
- Phased out the Single Business Tax and replaced the Michigan Business Tax with a more business-friendly corporate profits tax
