Monday, September 18, 2006
Sanford takes aim at Cabela's incentives
Sanford takes aim at Cabela's incentives
Monday, September 11, 2006
Gov. Mark Sanford, never one to shy away from scrapping with the General Assembly, fired another salvo at fellow lawmakers this weekend when he attended the Columbia ribbon-cutting for a Sportsman's Warehouse.
Sanford probably wouldn't normally make it to such an event, but a multimillion-dollar incentive package passed for Cabela's a few months ago is still sticking in his craw. The governor was on hand to note that Sportsman's Warehouse was getting no such deal.
"Getting into the business of subsidizing retailers in this way that's never been done before is a menace to mom-and-pop shops all over South Carolina," Sanford said. "It amounts to a penalty against family-owned businesses, and a penalty against straight-up competitors like Sportsman's Warehouse and Bass Pro Shop who didn't ask for special treatment and subsidies."
The governor called on the General Assembly to reel the incentives back in when they reconvene.
Sanford, however, missed the ribbon-cutting for the Tanger Outlet Center a week earlier, where North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey once again championed the Cabela's incentives. "I think it's a tourism draw," he said.
