Article with 2 comments:
"we have actually lost jobs from Whirlpool while giving Whirlpool tax cuts"

County backs tax break zone for Whirlpool

Creating the rehabilitation district would allow appliance maker to apply for abatement, freezing taxes on properties
By Scott Aiken - H-P, Friday, September 24, 2010
ST. JOSEPH - Berrien County commissioners Thursday agreed to support the creation of a commercial rehabilitation district to provide Whirlpool Corp. with a tax abatement on a planned $68 million world headquarters in Benton Harbor...The Benton Harbor City Commission has voted to create the district. But under the state law that allows the tax abatement, the county has a rejection right...The complex is part of an $85 million plan to consolidate Whirlpool's 15 operations in the Twin Cities into three, one each in Benton Harbor, Benton Township and St. Joseph.
The world headquarters complex is to be built on Main Street in Benton Harbor between River Street and Riverview Drive.
Another abatement being sought by Whirlpool is an amendment to the Harbor Shores brownfield plan to include property at the LeValley site and certain nearby properties the company does not now control.
A third abatement that requires county involvement would extend the Renaissance Zone designation for Whirlpool properties...Fette said approval of all the abatements would mean a $100,000 annual loss of tax revenue for the county.

JamesO wrote on Sep 25, 2010:
" "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, everywhere you go..." "

we need a balance sheet wrote on Sep 25, 2010
" I...think it's time that our elected officials asked Whirlpool for a balance sheet comparing their donations to their tax breaks. Who wouldn't like to trade paying taxes for the ability to chose where and how to spend the money in donations. That's not how democracies work. We elect people to represent us in determining how the money is best spent in the public interest. As for the economic benefits of jobs we have actually lost jobs from Whirlpool while giving Whirlpool tax cuts. Middle class jobs we so desparately need have been sent to other states and out of the country..."