Texas
Related: About this forumOh Mayor Leffingwell is there nothing you won't do for the corporations?
this past Sunday in the Stateman, in an article entitled "Incentives Fight" in the Business section. (I would post a link but I don't have an online subscription)
The article goes on in minor detail in regards Dropbox, U.S Farthane and National Instruments dropping their plans of opening offices here in Austin and creating more jobs.
In Austin's push to grow and expand, anyone paying the least bit of attention would know of the sweetheart deals our glorious mayor gives to the various companies in the form of massive tax breaks. Which, in turn, has to be made up by the home owners here in town.
Our wonderful mayor who loves himself some corporations, recently lamented on the reasons as to why these three companies choose not to expand into Austin. Here is the direct quote from the article, "In recent months Austin City Council action instituted stringent requirements in regards to economic incentives", leffingwell said in a written statement, "It concerns me that we have greatly diminished the effectiveness of our incentive program by placing burdensome conditions into the agreements. These obligations rang from exceedingly difficult reporting requirements to new provisions regarding prevailing wage and minimum living wage and other requirements".
So let me get this straight mr. mayor, you are willing to sell out the low wage workers hopes of making a living wage just so you can garner more corporations to line your pockets with more political donations? is that right? And leffingwell, (or as I like to call him, Laughingwell all the way to the bank), calls himself a Democrat?
What a truly despicable fuck.
This is just one of many things he has done and is doing to screw the poor people of Austin. I so can't wait till this lousy piece of shit is out of office. He has destroyed our once wonderful city with his greed and opportunism.
hobbit709
(41,694 posts)He was a tool of the developers from the beginning.
Javaman
(62,534 posts)I truly do.
DhhD
(4,695 posts)The mayor should be pushing for the corporation to repay the tax if they leave during the same number of years after the tax abatement as during the abatement. This would let the city collect its tax and put an ends to any backroom donors. A mayor may be gone in 10 years (10 years of tax abatement and 10 years worth of taxes being paid back, if they leave, as stated in a contract).
They_Live
(3,242 posts)and we need an event tax. Like, starting 10 years ago.