GASB Comments: Statement No. 77 on Tax Abatements

Here are some of the best comments submitted to the Governmental Accounting Standards Board on its draft standard for reporting on economic development subsidies by state and local governments:

General comments

Good Jobs First (January 21, 2015)

PolicyLink (January 29, 2015)

Issue focus: inclusion of subsidies linked to the diversion of personal income taxes or sales taxes

Kentucky Center for Economic Policy; Small Business Advocacy Council (of Illinois); New Jersey Policy Perspective; Policy Matters Ohio (December 2, 2014)

Georgia Budget and Policy Institute (December 22. 2014)

Maine Center for Economic Policy (December 22, 2014)

Arise Citizens’ Policy Project and Mississippi Economic Policy Center (December 23, 2014)

Issue focus: inclusion of TIFs

Tennessee Division of State Audit (January 8, 2015)

Iowa Policy Project; Illinois Education Association; New Jersey Policy Perspective (December 15, 2014)

TIF Illumination Project/CivicLab Chicago (December 22, 2014)

Illinois Federation of Teachers (January 14, 2015)

New Mexico Voices for Children (January 20, 2015)

Issue focus: future-year liabilities

IFPTE Local 2001 (SPEEA) and Louisiana Budget Project (December 19, 2014)

Issue focus: inclusion of recipient names

Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada-PLAN and Southwest Organizing Project-SWOP (December 4, 2014).

Issue focus: future-year liabilities, recipient names, TIFs and tax diversions

48 Scholars of Economic Development and Public Policy (January 13, 2015)

Prof. Kenneth Thomas (January 14, 2015)

Amalgamated Transit Union (January 15, 2015)

Washington Education Association (January 16, 2015)

Education Law Center (January 16, 2015)

New York State Senators Liz Krueger and Bill Perkins (January 22, 2015)

Issue focus: TIFs, multi-program revenue loss and future-year liabilities

Chicago Teachers Union and Grassroots Collaborative (December 23, 2014)

Issues focus: TIFs, recipient names and future-year liabilities

Policy Matters Ohio (December 29, 2014)

George Gund Foundation (January 7, 2015) Issue focus: future-year liabilities, TIFs and PILOTs

Karin Richmond, Intelligent Incentives Inc. (December 10, 2014)

Issue focus: inclusion of as-of-right subsidies, PILOTs, recipient names and future-year liabilities

AFSCME New York; Good Jobs New York; Citizen Action of NY; Human Services Council; Citizens Union; League of Women Voters of NYS; Civil Service Employees Association; NYPIRG; Common Cause NY; New York State Public Employees Federation; Fiscal Policy Institute; Reinvent Albany; Strong Economy for All Coalition (December 3, 2014)

New York State United Teachers (January 15, 2015)

Support in general

Ford Foundation (January 12, 2015)

F.B. Heron Foundation (January 13, 2015)

City Councilman from Grapevine, Texas (January 7, 2015)

Opposition to the draft standard

Government Finance Officers Association (December 16, 2014)

Government Finance Officers Association, International City/County Management Association, National League of Cities, National Association of Counties, and U.S. Conference of Mayors (January 21, 2015)