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Book - Product Information
The Great American Jobs Scam: Corporate Tax Dodging and the Myth of Job Creation
Greg Leroy
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
Rank: 4645
Founder and director of the nonprofit center Good Jobs First, LeRoy offers
a parade of damning case studies showing why communities should not woo
corporations with subsidies.
Corporate tactics, he finds, include quickly
shuttered subsidized facilities, union busting and jobs that pay below the
poverty line.
Rewritten tax codes, which focus on sales taxes but ignore
payroll and property taxes, as well as other tax abatements, undermine
schools; most stadiums and convention centers further bleed public monies.
Moreover, subsidies generally support suburban sprawl rather than
accessibility to public transit used by the poor.
Some corporate location
consultants work both for companies and governments—"a sad
reflection" of a disorganized public sector.
On the corporate minus side,
tax incentives to relocate, he shows, are dwarfed by labor, transport and
utility costs.
The upshot? Corporations are paying 28% less in state and
local taxes than 20 years ago. LeRoy's suggested reforms include greater
disclosure about subsidy deals; money-back guarantees if companies don't
fulfill their pledges; requiring subsidized jobs to meet local average
wages; closing corporate loopholes; and making sure every deal is approved
by elected officials rather than appointed ones. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed
Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
About the AuthorHe is the author of No More Candy Store: States and Cities Making Job
Subsidies Accountable and winner of the 1998 Public Interest Pioneer
Award.
Editorials
Sample 3 of 8
The Great American Jobs Scam: Corporate Tax Dodging and the Myth of Job Creation
Greg Leroy
![]() | | | Sandra Feldman, American Federation of Teachers | | We have supported Gregs work since 1998. This book is a welcome
resource for leaders of our union all over. |
![]() | | | Jim Hightower, author, Thieves in High Places and Lets Stop Beating Around the Bush | | LeRoy reveals why corporate tax cuts dont work: corporations get huge
subsidies while workers get trickle-down lip service. |
![]() | | | Robert S. McIntyre, Citizens for Tax Justice | |
should be required reading for governors, mayors and legislators who
want to invest their citizens money wisely and effectively. |
Customer Reviews
Sample 3 of 7
The Great American Jobs Scam: Corporate Tax Dodging and the Myth of Job Creation
Greg Leroy
![]() | | | An Important and Compelling Book | | (Iowa City, IA) July 17, 2005 - 5.0/5 stars | | I hope the people who really need to read this book do read it--the state
legislators and local officials who have been seduced by the arguments of
the "job scammers," as Greg LeRoy calls them. As an academic economist... read full review |
![]() | | | A well-written book by a real expert | | (Iowa City, IA) July 5, 2005 - 5.0/5 stars | | As Greg LeRoy makes abundantly clear through one rich example after
another, state and local governments are spending taxpayers' money with
abandon in the name of "economic development" and not producing the
desired results:... read full review |
![]() | | | Must Reading for Social Equity Advocates | | (Sacramento, CA) July 6, 2005 - 5.0/5 stars | | Just as he did so eloquently in "No More Candy Store", Greg LeRoy exposes
the dirty little secret behind economic development tax subsidies which
are no more than corporate welfare give aways. Anyone working in
communities... read full review |
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