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                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                              WASHINGTON, DC 20549


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                                SCHEDULE 14D-9/A
                   SOLICITATION/RECOMMENDATION STATEMENT UNDER
             SECTION 14(D)(4) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
                               (AMENDMENT NO. 40)

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                              TAUBMAN CENTERS, INC.
                            (Name of Subject Company)


                              TAUBMAN CENTERS, INC.
                      (Name of Person(s) Filing Statement)


                     COMMON STOCK, PAR VALUE $0.01 PER SHARE
                         (Title of Class of Securities)


                                    876664103
                      (CUSIP Number of Class of Securities)



                            ------------------------


                                  LISA A. PAYNE
                              TAUBMAN CENTERS, INC.
                             200 EAST LONG LAKE ROAD
                             SUITE 300, P.O. BOX 200
                        BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MICHIGAN 48303
                                 (248) 258-6800
 (Name, Address and Telephone Number of Person Authorized to Receive Notice and
           Communications on Behalf of the Person(s) Filing Statement)



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                                 WITH COPIES TO:

     CYRIL MOSCOW                JEFFREY H. MIRO          ADAM O. EMMERICH
HONIGMAN MILLER SCHWARTZ AND     KENNETH H. GOLD         TREVOR S. NORWITZ
       COHN, LLP              MIRO, WEINER & KRAMER        ROBIN PANOVKA
2290 FIRST NATIONAL BUILDING  38500 WOODWARD AVENUE,  WACHTELL, LIPTON, ROSEN
    660 WOODWARD AVENUE             SUITE 100                 & KATZ
DETROIT, MICHIGAN 48226-3583    BLOOMFIELD HILLS,     NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10019
    (313) 465-7000                MICHIGAN 48303           (212) 403-1000
                                 (248) 646-2400

[ ] Check the box if the filing relates solely to preliminary communications
    made before the commencement of a tender offer.

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This Amendment No. 40 amends and supplements the Solicitation/ Recommendation
Statement on Schedule 14D-9 initially filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission (the "Commission") on December 11, 2002 (as subsequently amended, the
"Schedule 14D-9"), by Taubman Centers, Inc., a Michigan corporation (the
"Company" or "Taubman Centers") relating to the tender offer made by Simon
Property Acquisitions, Inc. ("Offeror"), a wholly owned subsidiary of Simon
Property Group, Inc. ("Simon") and Westfield America, Inc. ("Westfield"), as set
forth in a Tender Offer Statement filed by Simon on Schedule TO, dated December
5, 2002 (the "Schedule TO") and a Supplement to the Offer to Purchase as
subsequently amended, dated January 15, 2003 filed by Simon on Schedule TO-T/A
(Amendment No. 6) (the "Supplement"), to pay $20.00 net to the seller in cash,
without interest thereon, for each Common Share, upon the terms and subject to
the conditions set forth in the Schedule TO and the Supplement as subsequently
amended. Unless otherwise indicated, all capitalized terms used but not defined
herein shall have the meanings ascribed to them in the Schedule 14D-9.


ITEM 9.  EXHIBITS.

Item 9 is hereby amended and supplemented by adding thereto the following:

EXHIBIT NO.                    DESCRIPTION
___________                    ___________

(a)(81)                        Proof Brief of SPG Appellees, filed by Simon
                               Property Group, Inc. and Simon Property
                               Acquisitions, Inc. on July 21, 2003 in the United
                               States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in
                               the matter of Simon Property Group, Inc. and
                               Simon Property Acquisitions, Inc. v. Taubman
                               Centers, Inc., A. Alfred Taubman, Robert S.
                               Taubman, Lisa A. Payne, Graham T. Allison, Peter
                               Karmanos, Jr. William S. Taubman, Allan J.
                               Bloostein, Jerome A. Chazen, and S. Parker
                               Gilbert









                                    SIGNATURE

                  After due inquiry and to the best of my knowledge and belief,
I certify that the information set forth in this statement is true, complete and
correct.

Dated:  July 22, 2003                     Taubman Centers, Inc.



                                          By: /s/ Lisa A. Payne
                                            ------------------------------------
                                            Lisa A. Payne
                                            Executive Vice President,
                                            Chief Financial Officer







                                  EXHIBIT INDEX

EXHIBIT NO.                    DESCRIPTION
___________                    ___________

(a)(81)                        Proof Brief of SPG Appellees, filed by Simon
                               Property Group, Inc. and Simon Property
                               Acquisitions, Inc. on July 21, 2003 in the United
                               States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in
                               the matter of Simon Property Group, Inc. and
                               Simon Property Acquisitions, Inc. v. Taubman
                               Centers, Inc., A. Alfred Taubman, Robert S.
                               Taubman, Lisa A. Payne, Graham T. Allison, Peter
                               Karmanos, Jr. William S. Taubman, Allan J.
                               Bloostein, Jerome A. Chazen, and S. Parker
                               Gilbert