Ugh. I don’t like this deal at all.
The state’s economic development agency has reached a $28 million tax credit deal with Kimberly-Clark to retain its Fox Crossing facility and 388 jobs, Gov. Scott Walker announced Thursday just weeks before he leaves office.
Gov.-elect Tony Evers criticized the incentive package and referenced it as a reason Walker should veto recently approved lame-duck legislation, which makes several changes to the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., including stripping the agency’s ability to make such deals without legislative approval.
Walker pushed for an incentive package for the consumer products manufacturer even after Republican lawmakers chose to shelve a bill during the lame-duck session that could have provided as much as $100 million in tax incentives over a 15-year period. The bill had received bipartisan criticism for setting a bad precedent.
Walker lamented the delays in that bill and championed the deal, which won’t require legislative approval, as a victory for workers and their families across the state.
The legislature made two (at least) attempts to pass an incentive package for KC and it failed because there wasn’t enough Republican – and no Democrat – support for it. It would be one thing if Walker did this out of the blue, but he called for legislation on it. The legislation failed due to lack of support. And now Walker is doing it anyway. Not cool.
It’s ugly. Cannot imagine why he’s stuck on doing this.
But Esenberg promised a helluva fight if the deal doesn’t conform to the requirements of the EDC.
Try harder, Dad29. I bet you can imagine why Walker would be stuck on this, or why Walker would be stuck on Foxconn. You just can’t find the words, right?