Border War hurts taxpayers, helps select companies
Yael T. AbouhalkahOne of the things lost in all the costly Border War battle for jobs going on between Kansas and Missouri in the KC region is this fact:
Someone has to pay for all the incentives offered by the states dueling for new jobs.
In the latest news, that will be taxpayers from Kansas.
In other cases, of course, Missouri taxpayers are the ones who have to step forward to plow public dollars into private companies.
It’s pretty much a zero-sum game - except for this:
Kansas and Missouri taxpayers who don’t get tax breaks are the ones who have to actually pay for the schools, the roads, the libraries and all the other services that wooed companies won’t have to support because they have been absolved of their duties to pay a fair amount of taxes.
The merry-go-round will continue, even though it has done a terrible job of creating new NEW jobs in the Kansas City area the past few years.
Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback is desperate for new jobs to show that his low tax rates will get some new employees to the state. Johnson Countians want new growth to show they are still the “it” place to be for business in the region. And over in Missouri, state and city officials will fight a rear-guard action aimed at lowering taxes for companies that hold them up for public incentives.
Phil Cardarella
5 months, 1 week agoGuys like Brownback are against all forms of socialism except Corporate Socialism. They call that economic development opportunities.
But, what is it really but a transfer of wealth from the individual taxpayers to corporations? On balance, what good does it do to lure businesses a hundred feet across State Line Road — while paying them with public money (directly or with tax breaks) to move there?
George Hunsucker
Northland
5 months, 1 week agoAs corporations increasingly gravitate to right-to-work states, KS will have to offer fewer incentives….
Couple this freedom of choice for workers with KS lower taxes and the state has a winning formula for growth.
KC of course has its E-tax and top rated government schools to showcase why companies should locate here and MO is not yet a right-to-work state.
George Hunsucker
Northland
5 months, 1 week agoYou libs are sooooooooooooooooooooo tolerant, aren’t you?
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/12/11/fox-news-contributor-punched-in-face-at-pro-union-protests-in-michigan/
When will MO wake-up and pass right-to-work legislation vs. losing jobs to KS and the rest of the rtw states??????