On Friday, Mississippi lawmakers approved a multimillion dollar incentive package to secure a deal that will bring the Toyota plant to northeast Mississippi. The state's incentive package includes $293.9 million for Toyota, much of which will cover costs for infrastructure such as roads and water and sewer lines for the 1,700-acre site at Blue Springs, near Tupelo. The package also has $30 million from the state for top-tier Toyota suppliers and $60 million from local governments for land acquisition and water supplies.
Not to mention the tax breaks they are getting.
- A 20-year exemption on income tax
- Sales and use tax exemptions on equipment
- A 3.5 percent rebate on payroll taxes
But according to Governor Barbour Mississippi, which has one of the highest sales taxes on groceries in the nation, can't afford to give it's citizens a tax break on groceries. Could it be because our legislators are busy giving tax breaks and money to corporations? Corporations like the Oreck plant that after receiving tons of tax breaks and incentives left Mississippi high and dry.
2 comments:
Oreck was there for 10 years and employeed plenty of people and generated a huge tax base income for the state. It is leaving *becuase* the state can't fix the issues they faced. No people (becuase no housing) and sky-rocking insurance (for which the state refuses to address).
Oreck still owes the public more than half of a $3 million, low-interest loan granted by Harrison County and the state (Mississippi) to help establish Oreck's presence here in 1997
Many Oreck workers returned after Katrina, they HAD PLENTY OF WORKERS. Those workers who lost everything to Katrina and were living in FEMA trailers, so they could continue to work for Oreck were left without jobs because of Oreck's hardheartedness.
Many companies who did not receive incentives or tax breaks to locate here are still here. Oreck behaved in an inexcusable manner, and demonstrates why our legislator should not throw money away in incentives and tax breaks to companies that will leave at a moments notice when another state makes a better offer.
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