• Publications
    • Essay
    • Case Study
    • Policy Study
    • Report
    • Testimony
    • Other
    • Newsletter
  • Blog
    • Daily Blog
    • Podcasts and Radio
    • Video
    • Infographics
    • Commentary / Op-Eds
    • Events
  • Events
  • Donate
  • About
    • Our Team
    • Show-Me Institute Board of Directors
    • Fellows and Scholars
    • Our Authors
    • Jobs
  • Contact
  • Explore Topics
    • Education
      • Accountability
      • Education Finance
      • Performance
      • School Choice
    • Health Care
      • Free-Market Reform
      • Medicaid
    • Corporate Welfare
      • Special Taxing Districts
      • Subsidies
      • Tax Credits
    • Labor
      • Government Unions
      • Public Pensions
    • State and Local Government
      • Budget and Spending
      • Courts
      • Criminal Justice
      • Municipal Policy
      • Property Rights
      • Transparency
      • Transportation
    • Economy
      • Business Climate
      • Energy
      • Minimum Wage
      • Privatization
      • Regulation
      • Taxes
      • Welfare
      • Workforce
Show Me InstituteShow Me Institute
Show Me InstituteShow Me Institute
Support the Show-Me Institute
  • Publications
    • Essay
    • Case Study
    • Policy Study
    • Report
    • Testimony
    • Other
    • Newsletter
  • Blog
    • Daily Blog
    • Podcasts and Radio
    • Video
    • Infographics
    • Commentary / Op-Eds
    • Events
  • Events
  • Donate
  • About
    • Our Team
    • Show-Me Institute Board of Directors
    • Fellows and Scholars
    • Our Authors
    • Jobs
  • Contact
  • Explore Topics
    • Education
      • Accountability
      • Education Finance
      • Performance
      • School Choice
    • Health Care
      • Free-Market Reform
      • Medicaid
    • Corporate Welfare
      • Special Taxing Districts
      • Subsidies
      • Tax Credits
    • Labor
      • Government Unions
      • Public Pensions
    • State and Local Government
      • Budget and Spending
      • Courts
      • Criminal Justice
      • Municipal Policy
      • Property Rights
      • Transparency
      • Transportation
    • Economy
      • Business Climate
      • Energy
      • Minimum Wage
      • Privatization
      • Regulation
      • Taxes
      • Welfare
      • Workforce
State and Local Government / Municipal Policy

What, For Free? Gimme $78 Million Dollars

By David Stokes on Sep 24, 2007

Can’t you just imagine seeing this scene playing out …

Cordish to Centene: "Excuse me, sir? What it is, Mr. CEO; we’re from out of town."

Centene To Cordish: "No s%!t."

Cordish: "We’d really appreciate it if you would move your corporate headquarters down to our brand-new downtown development instead of Clayton."

Centene: "What, for free? Gimme $78 million dollars in tax credits and incentives."

Cordish: "We’re not gonna give you $78 million on top of everything else the taxpayers have already paid for."

City of St. Louis (from passenger seat and reaching for checkbook / aldermanic approval): "I think that’s fair, Cordish."

Cordish: "Here’s $78 million, plus a brand new sales tax for your own sales tax district." (Pauses while Centene pockets it all.) "Keep the change."

Needless to say, I could go on and on. I would really have liked to work "a Torino with no wheels on it" into this, but I think I have made my point. The fact that the above scene actually takes place in St. Louis is all the better, in case you forgot that.

The move of Centene is just another insane example of businesses playing various cities against each other in order to get taxpayer money they don’t deserve. I may sound naive here (and I am not at all naive when it comes to government and politics), but if cities such as St. Louis would just improve their overall business climates, they would not have to give away the store to favored targets. These incentives and tax credits are necessary precisely because of the earnings tax and other disincentives for business in the city. Getting rid of those disincentives first makes giving away new incentives far less necessary.

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Email
  • Print
About the author

David Stokes

Director of Municipal Policy

More about this author >
    Footer Logo
    Support the Show-Me-Institute
    Showmeinstitute.org is brought to you by Show-Me Institute and Show-Me Opportunity.
    • Publications
    • Blog
    • Events
    • Donate
    • About
    • Contact

    Reprint permission for Show-Me Institute publications and commentaries is hereby granted, provided that proper credit is given to the author. We request, but do not require, that those who reprint our material notify us of publication for our records: [email protected]

    Mission Statement
    Advancing liberty with responsibility by promoting market solutions for Missouri public policy.

    © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved