So what are those tax breaks Jebbie will give to Disney?

[revcarol]

Same tax breaks as every theme park?
Same tax breaks as every hotel?

Same tax breaks as EVERY BUSINESS?

FLORIDIANS: Please tell us!!

[supernova]

1. Disney gets a lot of perks

anyway. WDW is practically it's own municipality. I Saw a documentary ages ago. Perhaps it was Frontline. I remember that the biggest one is the WDW is exempt from the same local ordinances and issues around garbage collection and disposal,that the sourrounding communities have.

I'm sure native Floridians could shed more light.

[freetobegay]

2. WDW has their on incinerator & their own water plant &

Their own police Department. They are pretty much self sufficient.

[Lorien]

18. (15 year) native and Disney contractor

(former employee). Yes, they are practically their own municipality; it's called "the Reedy Creek improvement district". Their own utilities, security force, fire and rescue, etc. It's a self contained town consisting of about 70,000 employees on the WDW property, with it's own "selected" representation (a Bush's* wet dream; total corporate control with virtually no government oversight). despite it all, they do strong arm the State into building and maintaining roads into the property, using the Lake Buena Vista police when they deem it necessary, building low income housing for employees and giving them ample tax breaks (how much of a break is a well kept secret, it seems). Supernova is correct about garbage collection and disposal-the same also goes for sewage and water treatment . Luckily for those of us spending a lot of time on the property, the Disney family (Roy, Diane, etc.) have been very Eco conscious over the years, but with Roy out of the picture now, I doubt that consciousness will last.

[supernova]

25. Thanks for the clarification, Jen6

It's been a very long time since that documentary.

Yes, the overall picture of a corporation allowed to be it's own government is troubling at best. I'm glad so far they seem to have been decent neighbors, but like you said the Disney family (Roy, Diane, etc.) have been very Eco conscious over the years,...

Is it for certain Roy is gone? Does Eisner now have complete free reign?

[Lorien]

26. Roy is gone, but still fighting

his website www.savedisney.com details the battle with Eisner and his lackys (stories about the censoring of Moore's film are also up at the site).

[Misunderestimator]

3. This could be good for florida

Tax breaks for businesses make a lot of sense, if the business is bringing in tourism and revenue that benefits the state, which Disney does. That makes a lot of sense, and is above board. HOWEVER, if they take AWAY these breaks Disney already has because of a purely political motive, THEN what they are doing is not above board. I'm curious how this will play out. Especially to those Orlando residents and businesses who are paying higher property taxes to make up for Jeb's breaks for Disney.

[Not Me]

6. There are few locals

who would complain too much about breaks for Disney. The ripple effect is huge. All the small hotels, restaurants etc. all know who is getting their customers into town.

[AP]

9. If Disney pays fair property tax, where's Disney going to go? Alabama?

All it will mean is that working class and middle class people can have their tax burdens reduced a little. Maybe they'll use the money to go to Disney a couple more times a year or go to see a Disney movie. But the best thing they'll do is they'll be able to attend decent schools, and maybe FL will build that rail line that goes from Tallahassee to Tampa to Orlando to Miami, and then people who work for a living will be able to be a little more mobile and less dependant on oil, and maybe tourists will have an option other than the rental car industry.

Also, Disney GOT those tax breaks because of purely political motives. See my post below.

[Not Me]

4. Unclear...

It's unclear what he was referring to specifically.

As it is, Walt Disney World is it's own government entity in Florida.
They function as their own incorporated town (Reedy Creek), and can circumvent a LOT of local and state laws. (Negotiated back in the late 60's as a condition of development) That in itself, is huge.

[No2W2004]

8. Disney is it's own local government

The Reedy Creek Improvement District is a public corporation of the state of Florida created in 1967 by an act of the Florida legislature. Its primary purpose is to allow The Walt Disney Company to exercise powers normally reserved for governments (including taxing authority and zoning authority) over the land that constitutes Walt Disney World. Formally, the district is governed by a five member board of supervisors who are elected by the landowners within the district on the basis of one acre, one vote. Since the Disney company owns almost all of the land in the district, the district effectively serves as an instrument of Disney. Within the district, there are two incorporated cities, the cities of Bay Lake, Florida (pop. 23 per the 2000 census) and Lake Buena Vista, Florida (pop. 16). These two bodies politic are instrumentalities of the Disney company as all the residents of the cities are Disney employees. Curiously the city of Celebration, Florida, which is an experimental community sponsored by Disney and which has actual residents, is on land which was de-annexed from the district. The district has its seat in Lake Buena Vista and its executive organs (serving primarily the WDW parks and resorts) include a building inspectorate, a fire brigade with an ambulance service, a planning division, and a comprehensive utilities service covering trash collection, energy, and all in-ground systems except telephony and broadband. In his book, Married to the Mouse: Walt Disney World and Orlando, Richard Foglesong argues that the Florida legislature created the RCID under the belief that Disney would create an actual community in the area as part of its EPCOT project. However, once the Disney Company was granted governmental powers, it did not follow through on its promise of permanent residents in order to maintain control over the RCID.

[papau]

17. Said much better than my post!

and faster!

Time for a nap....

[Lorien]

20. Well, there you go

No2W2004 has pretty much summed up what my rusty memory couldn't entirly summon up from Disney "traditions" in 1989, lol!

[AP]

5. They're trying to keep breaks Jeb already gave them, which makes you

wonder what they did to get them. Hmmm.

In the _Wealth and Democracy_ Kevin Phillips describes how property taxes are among the most regressive taxes in America now because so few large corporations pay ANY anymore, thanks to deals. So, when you hear that your community is raising property taxes, that increased tax burden now falls almost entirely on middle class homeowners.

Even Democrats are guility of this. In VT, Howard Dean gave out so many tax breaks to big business that the property tax burden for the bottom quintiles was (IIRC) 7-15 times the tax burden of people in the top quintile, and the top quintile covers a huge income range. Income earners (mostly large businesses) in the top 1% probably have a tax burden that's 1/100 the average for the bottom quintile.

[Misunderestimator]

7. Jeb! says that he don't know nothin bout no tax breaks:

"'What tax break?' Florida Gov. Jeb Bush responded. 'We don't give tax breaks, that I'm aware of, to Disney.'"

from here: http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/nation/860082...

[freetobegay]

10. Heres a clue to people not well versed on the subject

Floridas number one industry is tourism! Floridas number two industry is tourism! Floridas number three industry is tourism! See where I am going with this?

Florida needs WDW as Much as WDW needs Florida. I reserve the right to hold judgement on WDW till more information is available. Frankly from what I have seen so far, I don't have a problem with what Disney did.

[Misunderestimator]

12. Hmm... Why don't you have a problem with it?

You agree with censorship then?

[freetobegay]

13. OH Pleease!

Censorship comes from the Government. Next your going to tell me If I don't put a bumber sticker on my car that says vote Democratic, I'm censoring the party. Same difference,different names.

[Misunderestimator]

21. No, this isn't the same

Government censorship comes from the government, censorship comes from anywhere. We should all be worried if Eisner indeed said that he was not distributing it because of the tax breaks.

In the end, a corporation is about making money. This film is set to make a lot of money. I don't see how understandable it is for a corporation to meke decisions based on politics. (Even though we know it's done all the time...)

[freetobegay]

24. If that film is going to make alot of money then someone

Will distribute it. Disney won't get any of it. So wheres the problem?

Or is this the problem?

[Lorien]

22. No, our #1 industry is cattle

believe it or not, beef is Florida's #1 industry. I think tourism ranks as #3 after citrus.

[quispquake]

11. When Uncle Walt started the ball rolling...

I think Florida gave him anything he wanted, including the ability to build a NUCLEAR REACTOR if they wanted...yikes!!!

[Beaker]

14. how much money does The Mouse stand to make from The Movie?

it seems to me that the potential profits from Michael Moore's film would be greater than the tax breaks that might be rescinded...and isn't jebbie just another sleazy blackmailing economic terrorist?

they sure raised quite a clan of evil freaks, Bar and Poppy...I guess the spore doesn't fall too far from the fungus.

[papau]

15. Disney is its own local government - and avoids most state taxes,

NOT the Same tax breaks as every theme park

NOT the Same tax breaks as every hotel

NOT the Same tax breaks as EVERY BUSINESS!!!

It is good to be Disney in Florida.

If you find another theme park that acts as its County/City government, I'd be surprised!

[freetobegay]

16. Try washington D.C.!

Oh wait a minute, thats a circus I'm thinking about.

[supernova]

19. LOL!

Having lived next to and worked in DC before, thanks for the laugh.

[supernova]

23. So what Eisner is really saying

re: Farenheit 911, is that he's afraid Jeb will take away the gov't perks (which have been there since the place began) for WDW if they release that film?

Hmmm... As much as I despise Eisner, I smell a ploy. Afterall, Disney didn't have a problem with Bowling for Columbine

[emulatorloo]

28. P-U-B-L-I-C-I-T-Y EOM

[No2W2004]

29. Thats what I think

If Disney distributes the movie, the Florida legislature (as directed by Jeb) will start to "investigate" Reedy Creek. Disney wouldn't like it if they lost Zoning privilages, which was a major bug up uncle Walt's ass in California. (He HATED the fact that businesses sprang up around Disneyland that HE wasn't making any money off of. Reedy Creek doesn't have that "problem")

Also, Bowling for Columbine didn't have anything to do with the Bush family. 9/11 (from what I've read) is a direct attack on them.

[freetobegay]

27. ...