Michigan retailers avoid tax rebate hype

Lansing, Mich. – While many retailers are preparing to accommodate 91 million Americans receiving tax-rebate checks in the coming months, the majority of Michigan retailers say they will avoid getting involved.

According to the Michigan Retail Index, a joint project of the locally based Michigan Retailers Association and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, only 3% of Michigan retailers surveyed say they are planning special advertising or sales promotions to take advantage of the rebate checks. The overwhelming majority, 81% of retailers, say they plan to do nothing at all. Meanwhile, 16% remain undecided.