Debating incentives
Published December 11, 2014
by Gary Pearce, Talking About Politics, December 10, 2014.
Ben Bradlee of the Washington Post used to say: “I come in every day with an empty bucket, and somebody fills it up.” Some days I come in with an empty blog, but TAPsters (readers, commentators and contributors) fill it up. Here’s a guest blog that’s timely in light of Senator-elect Andy Wells’ letter to the N&O today. The writer is no government bureaucrat; he’s a long-time warrior in the corporate world who recruited companies to North Carolina:
“North Carolina continues to wander aimlessly in its efforts to recruit new business to the state.
“Sadly, the biggest economic prize so far was won by the new CEO of the state’s shiny new economic development organization. He’s coming from Missouri, makes a cool $225k annually and will need a map to find his way from Raleigh to Garner.
“C’mon people, was not a single person in North Carolina qualified for this job?
“Actually, it doesn’t matter if the new CEO is from Missouri or Middlesex. As long as Republicans oppose big-time incentives to recruit big-time manufacturers, we can forget an auto manufacturer or other big employer.
“The mind-numbing hypocrisy and brain-dead philosophical confusion of our state’s leaders was never more evident than in the final hours of the forgettable legislative session. Legislators killed incentive payments because they don't believe in giving tax dollars to private businesses. Then, within hours, those same people voted overwhelmingly, enthusiastically and without shame to give $12 million of the state’s money to a privately owned paper mill in the mountains that threatened to close if help to pay for pollution controls wasn't forthcoming.
December 11, 2014 at 11:40 am
Richard Bunce says:
Plenty of hypocrisy to go around on which political parties favor tax incentives to which private entities. What is clear is that government elected officials/bureaucrats are particularly bad at picking winners and losers and so like War Games... the only way to win is not to play the game. Just lower all taxes and regulations for all businesses and let the businesses decide for themselves if that is the kind of State they want to do business in.
