Kansas is moving quickly to offer $1 billion or more in tax breaks and other incentives, in hopes of landing what officials promise is an investment of up to $4 billion in an undisclosed project, by a still unidentified company. Supporters of a bill that cleared the Republican controlled State Senate on Thursday, sought to undercut criticism of such a big package of incentives by also including an across the board cut in the state’s corporate income tax in each year that incentives go to the company doing the project and its major suppliers. The Senate’s 32-7 vote came after only 20 minutes of debate on the measure, which allows the Kansas Department of Commerce to provide the incentives.
The measure had bi-partisan support and even backing from Democrats who’ve often criticized the GOP for pushing tax breaks for big corporations. The only “no” votes came from conservative Republicans who derided it as “crony” Capitalism.
Officials claim the new facility will employ 4,000 people, but with the huge numbers of young people leaving the state the past 10 years, they do realize it’s important to give incentives to stay, knowing there are good paying jobs here.
