Gov. Bev Perdue said she intends to go to the mats during the upcoming session to fight for state incentives to attract businesses.
Although the incentives have come under criticism from both the right and the left, Perdue said North Carolina is having an increasingly difficult time competing with Virginia, Georgia and Alabama because they offer better incentives.
“I desperately believe that I have to have the incentive abilities that other governors have,” Perdue said. “The incentives that I have now are no longer as robust as they were because all the other Southern governor's packages have gotten more sophisticated and more competitive than North Carolina's.
“I don't like them(incentives),” Perdue said, “but they are part of the game.”
As the debate unfolds, Perdue said she will be prepared to name two companies that North Carolina lost because it did not have sufficient incentives. She also said she could name companies that would not have come to North Carolina without incentives.
Perdue told a story of recruiting one corporate executive in Charlotte to bring his company to come to North Carolina during the day, only to have another governor fly into Charlotte that same evening to woo the executive.
“It's a battle out there,” Perdue said. “Alabama Virginia, Georgia have better tools than we do.”
Comments
$100,000,000
December 21, 2010 - 7:50am — bestsarahIf I recall correctly the Golden Leaf Foundation wrote a check for $100,000,000 to bring Spirit to the Global Transpark.
Surely the Golden Leaf has more than enough money to fund further incentives. If they can give a hundred-million to one company then why not some others? And that was just the Golden Leaf's contribution. Many other incentives also come into play.
Have you ever seen a check for $100,000,000 (one hundred million dollars)?
Bev Perdue and tax incentives
December 19, 2010 - 9:32pm — Allen11191938Instead of trying to compete with other southeastern states with tax incentives, Gov. Perdue emphasize the quality of live in NC compared to other states: eg, our fine university system public schools, beautiful beaches and mountains, proximity to good airports, and affordable housing. Stress the fact that employees will be happy in NC. Use these incentives as well as offering the best tax rates possible, but don't give away the store.
woo corporate interests?
December 17, 2010 - 1:14pm — ScooberCorporate interests have truly out-done themselves. Creating a system where states beg and woo them with tax incentives must be a sweet deal. For decades corporate interests have played the "tax shop" game, thus ever decreasing their tax obligations. It's a "race to the bottom" as corporations pit states against one another in the fight for corporations to move to their state.
With $3.7 billion budget deficit why isn't Perdue trying to create a governor's pac to hold the line on these corporate assaults?