Adam,
Low Income and Historic Preservation return less than 20% to our state revenues. That is abysmal. The purpose of tax credits is to incentivize growth so that the state's revenues grow, not shrink. The state should not be in the business of renovating buildings "just because." The truth is we cannot fix those programs without being able to end them first...years of experience and tens of thousands in campaigns donations have proven that. I will stand by my call for those reforms.
Aerotropolis legislation has included these reforms from the beginning because the sponsors knew that no NEW tax credits would be approved until the 61 current programs were reformed. In fact at this point I'd say we actually have a tax credit reform bill that includes Aerotropolis, not the other way around.
Finally, if the China Hub loses the state's money like the Historic and Low Income programs have, I'd be happy to let Cincinnati or Denver have it.
My door is always open,
Will Kraus
-----Original Message-----
From: Adam XXXXXXX [mailto:XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX]
Sent: Friday, September 23, 2011 11:16 AM
To: Will Kraus
Subject: Re: PASS AEROTROPOLIS AND LOCAL CONTROL OF STLPD!
Senator Kraus,
I greatly appreciate your quick response. However, I have to protest the insistence on sunsetting the Low Income and Historic Preservation tax credits. The HPTC in particular is a proven economic success (according to the National Park Service) and has restored life to countless valuable buildings throughout the state, creating jobs and increased revenue and preserving our heritage in the process. Certainly better provisions can be put in place to prevent big developers from disproportionately taking advantage of the credits, but doing away with them altogether is counterproductive. It appears to me (and many others) that certain tax credits are under attack simply to satisfy a small but vocal group of anti-tax constituents.
The size of the "Aerotropolis" tax credit has already been drastically slashed, and it now appears that the HPTC and local control of the STLPD are hostages in a game of political chicken. I do understand the need for fiscal conservation in this poor economy and although I think the cuts to the "Aerotropolis" credits are a bit too steep I can accept them in the name of compromise. If this opportunity is lost, though, and the Chinese set up their cargo hub in Cincinnati or Denver, just as the railroads went to Chicago last century, we'll be kicking ourselves through the rest of this century as Missouri falls further out of relevance in the global economy. Somebody has to budge for the good of the state, and in this case I think those who demand the sunset of the Historic and Low Income tax credits are, rather arbitrarily, demanding too much.
Thank you for reading,
Adam XXXXXXX
-----Original Message-----
From: "Will Kraus" [
Will.Kraus@senate.mo.gov]
Date: 09/22/2011 05:03 PM
To: "XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX" <XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX>;
Subject: PASS AEROTROPOLIS AND LOCAL CONTROL OF STLPD!
Adam,
The House leadership,to include Steve Tilley, Tim Jones, and John Diel, know that if they pass a bill that does not include seven year sunsets on Low Income and Historic Preservation tax credits - or attempt to add new ideas at the last minute - the legislation has no chance of passing the Senate. It is all in their hands to pass a bill out of the House that will not dramatically change the bill that has passed the Senate. The Senate has passed this bill not once, but twice. The ball is in their court.
By the way, if Aerotropolis were voted on by itself it would fail in both chambers. The only reason it is being considered is because of the billions of dollars in savings on other tax credit programs.
Will
________________________________________
From: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX [XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX]
Sent: Thursday, September 22, 2011 1:52 PM
To: Will Kraus
Subject: Out-of-District: PASS AEROTROPOLIS AND LOCAL CONTROL OF STLPD!
The zipcode entered indicates the sender is actually in District 015.
Name: Adam XXXXXXX
Address: XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX XXX
City: Saint Louis
Zipcode: 63026-6919
Phone: (XXX) XXX-XXXX
Dear Representative,
I just read in the Columbia Daily Tribune that the current special
legislative session involving the "Aerotropolis" tax credits and local
control for the Saint Louis police department may end as early as
tomorrow without passage of either. THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. It is the
duty of our representatives to act in the best interest of ALL the
people of Missouri, of which approximately HALF live within the Saint
Louis Metro area. Establishing a hub from which Missouri
products will be exported to the soon-to-be largest market in the
world is simply too important to the future economic well-being of our
state and the city of Saint Louis - Missouri's primary generator of
revenue. If this initiative fails due to business-as-usual partisan
bickering then you all will have willingly thrown the livelihood of
your constituents under the bus to promote your own party-centric
agendas while a neighboring state and city jumps at the
opportunity that you will have thrown away. You will not get a second
chance to make this work, so the many supporters of this bill
throughout the state of Missouri (whom, i say with confidence,
outnumber those who oppose based on poorly-informed anti-communist or
anti-taxation-in-any-form sentiments) expect you to remain in session
until a reasonable compromise is reached. (For a cross-section of this
support see the following link to nextSTL.com:
http://nextstl.com/forum-bridge/index.p ... start=1545).
Moreover, using the issue of local control of the STLPD as leverage
and turning it into a casualty of war amidst such partisan nonsense is
plainly unethical and antithetical to your oath of office. In the
years to come if, for one of many examples, Cincinnati steals the
cargo hub and Ohio prospers because Missouri
representatives are more concerned with their political chess game
than with the economic health of our state, then voters will remember
at the polls. I, for one, will not rest until those responsible are
removed. That is a promise. We are sick of this.
Sincerely,
Adam XXXXXXX
XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX XXX
Saint Louis, MO 63026-6919
