Well, whaddya' know? Not only do I think I agree with Mayor Mark Funkhouser but I think he's dead right for both Missouri and Kansas on this one. And I have a 3rd source to back it up.
Here's the Funk's position:
Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser is launching more criticism at the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, this time for its support of a Kansas development program.
Funkhouser said the chamber’s stated support of Kansas’ Promoting Employment Across Kansas (PEAK) incentive program in its 2011 public policy agenda is detrimental to the interests of Kansas City, Mo., and further inflames the job battle between Kansas and Missouri.
That’s a battle he said is fueled by the liberal use of tax incentives to the long-term damage of both states.
“This is a program that is absolutely raiding jobs from Kansas City to no benefit to the region,” Funkhouser said Wednesday.
And in support of the Funk, for once, there's a local study saying he's right:
Missouri and Kansas rank among the bottom half of states when it comes to transitioning toward a global, innovation-based “new economy,” according to a new study.
Kansas ranked 26th and Missouri 33rd in the 2010 State New Economy Index, released Thursday by the Kansas City-based Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation.
The report suggests that states set up policies that decrease competition within states, that pursue win-win economic results and that look for “new state-federal, innovation-based economic development partnerships.”
“In today’s highly competitive environment, states must work together and with the federal government to overhaul their economic development policies,” Dr. Robert Atkinson, ITIF president and index co-author, said in the release. “Too often, states still view their economic competitors as next door, rather than halfway around the world. If, instead, they used incentives to expand broadband, support entrepreneurial assistance programs, or invest in research and technology transfer, they — and the nation as a whole — would be far more globally competitive.”
We've seen this before and we'll keep seeing it--Kansas and Missouri just tearing at each other, taking jobs back and forth across the state line.
It ought to stop.
The mayors of all these towns along the Missouri and Kansas borders ought to get together and pressure the 2 governors to do the same so we call a truce on this kind of border war skirmishing for companies and make a plan to work together instead. We'd be ahead as two states, separately and together, both, but we'd also be strengthened regionally. This information suggests we could be stronger as a country, too, if it were done nationwide.
What a concept. Imagine that--working together for everyone's benefit.
Remember the old song? "Wouldn't it be nice?"
Links: http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2010/11/24/funkhouser-says-chamber-fuels-job-battle.html?ed=2010-11-24&s=article_du&ana=e_du_pub
http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2010/11/18/missouri-kansas-not-ready-new-economy.html?ed=2010-11-18&s=article_du&ana=e_du_pub
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3 comments:
I think the vast majority of these development projects are a bad idea--The main result is that corporations shop for a special deal--They want to locate in an area with high services without paying the high taxes necessary to support that level of service. I don't think the government actually benefits, and not by as much as someone else is penalized.
Instead, local governments should create a system to encourage all business--if low business taxes bring new business, wouldn't low taxes prevent the flight of existing business?
Yes, certainly "low taxes prevent the flight of existing business" but what ever happened to companies being as accountable to society as we have to be, as individuals.
Sure, keep taxes low but put in place some minimum tax--national, state, local, the whole shmear--because it takes good roads and sewers and schools and all kinds of infrastructure to run a society wherein these greedy corporate/business pigs want to make their millions.
Cities and counties nationwide should get together and agree they won't allow themselves to be blackmailed any longer on taxes, period, buy also on things like national sports teams, too, the greedy bastards. That way we could stop them from blackmailing us, again and again.
"what ever happened to companies being as accountable to society as we have to be, as individuals."
How? Taxes aren't going to come out of profit, they get passed on as higher prices. Wishing doesn't make it otherwise.
Taxes should be to benefit the residents of the area, whether directly or indirectly. I should pay the taxes to support the infrastructure that will attract the businesses that will hire me so I can pay the taxes...Making business pay the taxes sounds good, but we still pay them in the end, just with more layers and less accountability.
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