Pat Garofalo, Author at Public Seminar

Economy

The Big Tax Breaks Behind Big Chicken

All subsidizing these giants does is reinforce the status quo

September 1, 2021 • by Pat Garofalo

_____ The Guardian published a good piece recently by Nina Lakhani, who looked at the power Tyson — which is one of the largest meat processors in the world and the largest chicken processor in the U.S. — has over local communities, businesses, and workers. “When a company like Tyson can get ...

Politics

Cuomo and the Buffalo Bills’ Billion

When a political scandal and a stadium subsidy collide

August 23, 2021 • by Pat Garofalo

_____ New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced his resignation last week following the release of a report by New York Attorney General Tish James showing that Cuomo had sexually harassed several women. When Cuomo officially leaves office next week, Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul will take over. Cuomo has been governor for more ...

Economy

Casinos Are a Gamble

The U.S. is awash in gambling options. Adding new ones isn’t going to do anything appreciable for a local economy

August 9, 2021 • by Pat Garofalo

_____ The Omaha, Nebraska, city council recently okayed $17.5 million in tax incentives for a new casino, part of a gambling expansion that voters approved via ballot referendum in 2020. As occurs so often with the current American boom in gambling legalization, the idea behind opening new casinos is ostensibly to ...

Economy

Disney: The Greediest Place on Earth?

This is one of the worst corporate tax incentive deals in recent memory

August 2, 2021 • by Pat Garofalo

_____ In last week’s edition of the Boondoggle newsletter, I noted some reporting on a mystery tax break for Disney. The corporation said it was receiving something for moving 2,000 jobs from California to Florida, but nobody would cop to what exactly that something was. Well, now we know — and hoo ...

Economy

Lowe’s Loses, Taxpayers Win

It’s good that the judges told Lowe’s to take a hike, but these cases are just going to keep coming

July 19, 2021 • by Pat Garofalo

_____ A Wisconsin appeals court recently rejected big-box retailer Lowe’s attempt to lower its property tax rate in the town of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. Lowe’s tried to employ what’s known as “dark store theory” to cut its property valuation nearly in half, from $13.6 million to $7.1 million. As I’ve explained previously, dark ...

Columnists

The Great Jobs Bait and Switch

July 14, 2021 • by Pat Garofalo

_____ When a corporation and local officials publicly announce an economic development deal, they both reap a bunch of benefits, most importantly positive press. Both the firm and the elected leaders get their names in the paper or on the local TV news, next to statements about new jobs and dollars ...

Columnists

Car Alarm in Oklahoma

Driving through an absurd incentive cover-up

July 7, 2021 • by Pat Garofalo

_____ Canoo — a company that makes not boats, but electric cars — announced earlier this month that it will open a new plant in Pryor, Oklahoma. Oklahoma was in the hunt for a Tesla plant that wound up in Austin, Texas, so officials there are spinning this as a very ...

Columnists

Michigan’s Midwestern Pact

A bipartisan compact bill with lots of sponsors!

June 23, 2021 • by Pat Garofalo

_____ A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about how a bipartisan coalition helped sink Texas’ Chapter 313 program, once of the worst corporate subsidy programs in the nation. At the opposite end of the country, more evidence that strange political marriages can result in positive change was provided last week ...

Columnists

Big Tech’s Affordable Housing Hustle

Take what you can, give a little bit back

June 23, 2021 • by Pat Garofalo

_____ Amazon announced last week that it’s going to spend $125 million on loans and grants to developers to build affordable housing near mass transit stations around its “HQ2” in Northern Virginia. It also announced similar programs in Nashville, Tennessee and its original home of Washington State. These payouts are part ...

Columnists

Amazon’s Top to Bottom Subsidy Scam

Amazon doesn’t need your money. The company’s executives just want it, ask for it, and too often get it

June 21, 2021 • by Pat Garofalo

_____ In 2017, Amazon launched a much-hyped search for a new office, which it dubbed “HQ2,” setting off an unprecedented wave of city and state officials crafting incentive packages to win the corporation’s favor. More than 200 cities ultimately submitted bids, promising Amazon hundreds of millions, and in some cases billions, ...

Columnists

A Shocking Win in Texas

One of the worst corporate boondoggle programs in the country met its end

June 14, 2021 • by Pat Garofalo

_____ The Texas legislature earned a lot of pixels in the political press recently for the quick rise and sudden demise of a bill full of voting restrictions, which was only defeated thanks to Democrats in the statehouse literally walking out in order to run out the clock on the state’s ...

Economy

The Las Vegas Raiders and a Raid on Nevada’s Finances

Sports and debt in the desert

June 7, 2021 • by Pat Garofalo

_____ In 2016, the football team now called the Las Vegas Raiders received the largest stadium subsidy in American history — $750 million — to ditch their allegiance to Oakland, California and relocate to Sin City. The state legislature approved the $750 million, which contributed to the $2 billion tab to build the ...