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Cities, counties take back corporate tax breaks

By DON BABWIN, Associated Press Writer
Sun Jan 3, 1:52 am ET

CHICAGO – Cash-strapped communities have a message for corporations that promised jobs in return for tax breaks: A deal's a deal.
As the recession drags on, municipalities struggling to fix roads, fund schools and pay bills increasingly are rescinding tax abatements to companies that don't hire enough workers, lay them off or close up shop. At the same time, they're sharpening new incentive deals, leaving no doubt what is expected of companies and what will happen if they don't deliver.
"We will roll out the red carpet as much as we can (but) they are going to honor the contract," said Brendon Gallagher, an alderman in DeKalb, Ill., where Target Corp. got abatements from the city, county, school district and other taxing bodies after promising at least 500 jobs at a local distribution center.
So when the company came up 66 workers short in 2009, Target got word its next tax bill would be jumping almost $600,000 — more than half of which go to the local school district, where teachers and programs have been cut as coffers dried up.
The newfound boldness comes from communities and states that have long bent over backward to lure companies and jobs by offering abatements and other incentives — to the tune of an estimated $60 billion a year in the United States, according to the Washington-based economic development watchdog group Good Jobs First.....................>>>>............................>>>>...........http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_tax_fights

cut off the mandates that are unrealistic and none of the government's business/job......we are pioneering entreprenureal Americans.....

....let's get to it.....

Now that's a good economic move. tic

Although I see their point....you piss off the businesses and they will just pick up and leave to a depressed state/city/community that won't impose such penalties. Heck...come on over to schenectady. We taxpayers will give you tons of money, grants, no interest loans in the name of metroplex. You can even go bankrupt and we'll give you a pass!

Maybe the corporations have lost their balls......

I don't know how anybody lives in Chicago.  We feel that our sales tax is too high here at 8%, they deal with 10%.