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VaderTower t1_irp56l1 wrote

Reply to comment by Mule_Skinner_43 in Beaver Road? Buc-ee's petitions city for street named after its mascot by [deleted]

We don't get taxed. Tax deferred for a set period of time (example 10 years of not having to pay property tax or sales tax, or whatever the deal is, which helps to pay back back the investment the business makes in the infrastructure, so that we the tax payers don't have to pay for a private companies build out).

Tax deferral is such a win-win. Sure we don't get as much in taxes for a business for 5 or 10 years. But by shooting it down we get zero. At least now in 5-10 years we get money. BUT that's also discounting the amount of travelers that will now stop and spend money in our city that might not have before.

It's a win win with no true arguable downside. Unless you just hate more people, in which case, go move to the sticks.

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WendyArmbuster t1_irrdtyk wrote

If this place is going in where I think it is, the exit there was just re-worked to make the entrance and exit ramps longer, which will probably be required if it's going to get as much traffic as everybody says it will. Are you saying Buc-ee's is paying for that? If so, I would totally support a reduction in their taxes for a limited amount of time to offset exactly that amount of cost.

Overall though, using tax benefits to attract businesses is a losing situation for communities. It's a race to the bottom for communities, but it's a game you currently have to play or otherwise your town will lose to other towns who are willing to forego services and revenue. I support a federal 100% tax rate on all state and local tax deals used to attract business. It would make towns compete on other metrics for attracting businesses, such as quality of workforce, quality of life, and other things that would actually make towns better.

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VaderTower t1_irydks8 wrote

No Bucees isn't paying for MODOT on/off ramps. Bucees was announced and debated earlier this year. The on/off ramps and MODOT approval would have taken at least 2 years to plan, and execute.

So I can confidently say any work MODOT is doing is 100% unrelated to Bucees.

Tax deferral might or might not. The thing is, without tax deferral, we wouldn't get Bucees. Strafford might, Joplin might, etc. By giving a tax deferral we don't lose any money, so I fail to see the downside for the city.

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WendyArmbuster t1_iryzk44 wrote

If everybody is attracting business by giving tax deferrals, then we are all losing that money.

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VaderTower t1_irzsgrk wrote

If we could all act with a collective mindset you would have solved game theory.

You're not wrong, but the dynamics are more complicated, and we have to act as rational actors as we expect others to.

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