Boston Globe digging finds that Dean was a champion of tax giveaways to Corporate special interests. Dean actually fought party liberals to push through lax control of "pigs-at-the-trough" loopholes. No wonder, Dean is doing everything to keep his Vermont records secret, at least for the primaries. So far, Dean has been inconsistent about Iraq, Labor policy, Trade policy, Religion
The only thing that seems reliable is that his Vermont record will NOT be what one would expect from Deans campaign rhetoric.
Audit raises doubts on Dean's tax incentives
By Sarah Schweitzer, Globe Staff, 12/27/2003
As governor of Vermont, Howard Dean presided over the creation of a program that authorized $80.1 million in corporate tax credits without verifying that many of the companies had made good on promises to bring new jobs and investments to Vermont, according to a report by the state auditor's office.
The report found that the Vermont Economic Progress Council, the Dean-appointed nine-member body charged with administering the tax-credit program, relied heavily on companies' claims that they were considering bypassing Vermont for their business and needed the credits as incentives. The report also found that the Department of Taxes never checked to make sure that companies followed through on their promises until the Legislature stepped in and required it to do so.
. . . . . . . . . .
The report also noted that applications for the credits were kept secret.
Dean declined to comment through his spokesman, Jay Carson. "The auditor's report aside, the governor's record speaks for itself," Carson said. "There was record economic growth. He balanced 11 budgets, provided prescription drugs for seniors, and provided health insurance for children."
Dean, who regularly criticizes President Bush for doling out corporate tax benefits and has made criticism of questionable business gains a cornerstone of his bid to win the Democratic presidential nomination, took an active role in shaping Vermont's tax-credit program, according to an audit report released in 2000. He sought out companies and encouraged them to apply for the credits and shared his views with council members about how companies' qualifications should be evaluated.
. . . . . . ..
Liberals in the Legislature -- including Ready, now the auditor -- vehemently opposed what they deemed corporate handouts and lambasted the mechanics of the law, which permitted companies to submit confidential applications, limiting public scrutiny of the basis for credit approvals.
"Basically, they gave away state money in secret," Dean Corren -- a former state representative, a member of the Progressive Party, and a vocal critic of the program -- said in an interview.
Sarah Schweitzer can be reached at
[email protected].
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/...tax_incentives/
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