CORPORATE FASCISM IN ALL ITS GLORY

A bad deal for Pennsylvania taxpayers

BEFORE WE criticize Gov. Tom Corbett for his willingness to hand over the state to the natural gas-drilling industry, we want to note that his administration is to be commended for its attempts to use Pennsylvania’s natural gas deposits to attract industries to the state.

In April, Pennsylvania managed to outbid West Virginia and Ohio for a Shell Oil Co. ethane cracker plant largely because Corbett and his team managed to do their bidding quietly with behind-the-scenes negotiations.

While those states were publicly braying about what they were doing to attract Shell, Corbett’s stroke of genius was to get the state Legislature to expand the tax-free Keystone Opportunities Zone designation from 10 to 15 years. And he did so without tying the KOZ expansion to the cracker plant bid.

Fifteen tax-free years is hard to ignore, and Shell signed on. Shortly after announcing the deal, Corbett was asked if other tax incentives might be forthcoming.

“We would be open to considering just about anything,” he said.

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