Friday, January 12, 2007
Michigan Posters Debate Cabela's Exto.... er, Demands.
Tim Steele
Posted: Wed Dec 06, 2006
...On December 1, representatives from Cabela's met with the officials at Walker City Hall to talk about what it would take to locate a store at the Orchard Park development. Cabela's is looking for an incentives package worth $15 million.
"They want $15 million," said Zach Bossenbroek of the Walker Orchard Land Partners. "This would fund the public infrastructure, roads primarily."
Those roads would access the 240-acre mixed use site where Cabela's is interested in building, but only if someone can come up with the money.
Walker is out. They have no funds.
24 Hour News 8 learned Cabela's asked the Michigan Economic Development Corporation for the money. But the MEDC told 24 Hour News 8 state law prohibits tax incentives for retailers. The reason is if you give to one retailer, you have to give to all the retailers.
The MEDC's focus is promoting manufacturing.
Should Cabela's get the break they're looking for? Or would it be bad public policy to provide this kind of break?
Tim Steele
Web Managing Editor
tim.steele@woodtv.com
Lucky13
PostPosted: Wed Dec 06, 2006 12:25 pm
Location: Grand Rapids
Regardless of what kind of business Cabela's is or how many people they're going to employ, I think it's wrong for them to expect Walker to roll out the red carpet and allow them a 15M tax incentive.
That's one of the problems with this state, we have given everyone an exception to the rule of business and now EVERYONE expects a hand out.
EQUAL RIGHTS FOR EVERY
