Winnie Brinks Joins Small Business Owners in Traverse City to Discuss Crushing “John James Tax”

Today, Senate Majority Leader and Democratic Nominee for Lieutenant Governor Winnie Brinks held a roundtable with small business owners in Traverse City to discuss the impacts of the latest “John James Tax” hikes. Michigan’s small businesses, which are already struggling with high utility and operating costs, are now facing higher prices thanks to the latest round of reckless Trump-James tariffs on Canada – forcing them to cut staff, raise prices, or close their doors. John James has repeatedly backed these unaffordable tariffs that are hurting the economy, and has refused to call them out for what they are: a tax on Michiganders.

While John James is making life more expensive for Michiganders, Jocelyn Benson and Winnie Brinks are laser focused on lowering costs and increasing support for entrepreneurs and small businesses. They are the only ticket with a plan to make Michigan the small business capital of the nation by cutting red tape, increasing access to capital, helping small businesses grow and scale up, and keeping talent in Michigan.

“We've got a lot of challenges right now. We've got the rising cost of living: it's impacting your customers, but it's also impacting businesses. And tariffs, again, an increased challenge — particularly in Michigan,” said Winnie Brinks. “We have not paid enough attention to working with small businesses, working with home-grown businesses, working with businesses that are headquartered here, working with creating places around businesses, and the things that businesses need to be successful. Investing in infrastructure is not just highways and the big roads, but it's also the things in our local communities: parks and walkable business districts and housing.”

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