The Michigan Economic Development Corporation has lost its court battle to hide how much General Motorscould claim in tax breaks under a 2016 deal.
The state argued the Freedom of Information Act didn’t require it to release the details due to an exception for “financial or proprietary information.”
The Mackinac Center for Public Policy filed a brief with the state Supreme Court arguing against the state.
Director of fiscal policy James Hohman says he hopes the ruling is a step toward more transparency.
“I think there’s a lot of improvement to be made in economic development transparency. In particular, once companies sign deals, people should know what happens afterwards. The state’s gotten a little bit better over time but there’s still a lot of improvement to be had.”
The state says its lawyers are reviewing the opinion.
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