Re:U.S. Steel wins tax breaks from one of America's poorest ...
by BurningFrog on Sunday February 10, 2019 @12:29AM
(#19126497)
> How is this different than the city being held hostage by the organization in question?
There is a huge difference between threatening to destroy someone else's property or life unless you get paid, and to offer something beneficial if you get paid.
To spell it out, the difference is that one is forced and the other is consensual.
> Would we not be better off as a society if business-specific tax breaks were not an option?
I'd agree with that, not least from an "equal treatment under the law" standpoint. That different companies pay different taxes depending on what deal they manage to negotiate with the government is a terrible principle. If it worked like that for regular people we'd all recognize it as corruption.
Re:U.S. Steel wins tax breaks from one of America's poorest ...
by test6554 on Sunday February 10, 2019 @02:27AM
(#19126737)
Many of us do negotiate our property taxes with the government by protesting their valuation of our home/property whenever it increases from one year to the next.
There is a huge difference between threatening to destroy someone else's property or life unless you get paid, and to offer something beneficial if you get paid.
To spell it out, the difference is that one is forced and the other is consensual.
> Would we not be better off as a society if business-specific tax breaks were not an option?
I'd agree with that, not least from an "equal treatment under the law" standpoint. That different companies pay different taxes depending on what deal they manage to negotiate with the government is a terrible principle. If it worked like that for regular people we'd all recognize it as corruption.