Austin, TX (myPressManager.com) December 06, 2012
The Texas Taxpayers and Research Association responded today to a recent series on tax incentives published in the New York Times. The Times contends that Texas gives out a whopping $19 billion annually in tax incentives—more than any other state.“The Times’ contends that Texas is unique in offering certain incentives, which, in fact are basic tax exemptions common across the states,” TTARA’s President, Dale Craymer said. “They selectively count the costs for Texas but ignore them for other states. Their conclusions are misleading and simply wrong.”For example, over half of the value of “incentives” the Times attributes to Texas is the sales tax exemption for raw materials consumed in manufacturing. Virtually all other states offer the same exemption as a way to prevent tax pyramiding. The Times, however, excludes those values from their ranking for California, Illinois, Florida, New York, and a myriad of other states. This results in the erroneous conclusion that Texas somehow offers more incentives than other states.“The key difference between Texas and these other states,” Craymer commented, “is that Texas is transparent in our tax policy and provides publicly available estimates. Many other states do not, so the Times ignored them in its calculations.”“Further, many of these exemptions are designed to prevent economic distortions associated with taxing a business’s productive costs. To count these very common and basic exemptions as tax incentives is the same as arguing that Texas’ sales tax exemption for groceries creates an incentive to eat.”A more recent, academically honest, report on state tax incentives and business tax costs, Location Matters, was prepared by the Tax Foundation. Surprisingly, Texas scores much lower on incentives than what the Times suggests. “Taxes aside, there are many reasons for businesses to locate in Texas—efficient regulation, rational tort laws, policy stability, etc.,” Craymer said. “What you simply won’t find is a $19 billion bonanza of handouts.”The Texas Taxpayers and Research Association (TTARA) is a non-profit, non-partisan membership-supported organization of businesses and individuals interested in state and local fiscal policies in Texas and the way those policies impact our economy. TTARA members operate in every part of Texas; they employ and provide incomes to thousands of Texans; they produce or provide every type of good or service Texans consume; and, they provide a huge portion of the revenue that supports public services at every level of government. TTARA has been recognized as the state’s leading organization specializing in tax and fiscal policy for more than 50 years.
iKeepSafe is delighted to announce the addition of Linnette Attai to its Advisory Board. Linnette is a media and marketing compliance executive with extensive expertise navigating regulatory and self-regulatory environments surrounding advertising, marketing, content, privacy, safety and ethical concerns. Since 2000, her primary area of focus has been the multi-billion dollar children’s entertainment industry, and the special considerations faced by consumer product, food, movie, toy, video game, television, digital and mobile companies creating content and marketing intended for children and teens.As the founder of PlayWell, LLC, Linnette focuses on guiding clients through compliance concerns related to media and marketing, including digital and mobile privacy and safety concerns. She has previously served as Vice President, Standards & Practices for Nickelodeon, and as a compliance executive with CBS.Linnette has advised the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) on children’s issues, helping to write their guidelines on children’s advertising, and leading a subcommittee on children’s privacy. She was also an active participant on the MMA’s subcommittee on behavioral targeting, and is a member of the Children’s Media Association. Her work in children’s media dovetails with a keen interest in societal issues impacting children, including education, health and safety. In 2010 she completed the Executive Education Training Program at Fordham Center for Nonprofit Leaders to further explore business practices of organizations centered on improving the lives of children.A native of New York, Linnette completed her undergraduate degree at Connecticut College and received her MBA in Marketing and Management from Fordham Graduate School of Business Administration.“iKeepSafe is thrilled to welcome Ms. Attai as a new member of the Advisory Board,” iKeepSafe CEO and President Marsali Hancock said. “With her background experience and genuine passion for digital and mobile privacy concerns, she will be a valuable asset. We are lucky to have her.”###About the Internet Keep Safe Coalition The Internet Keep Safe Coalition (iKeepSafe) is a broad partnership of governors and first spouses, attorneys general, public health and educational professionals, law enforcement and industry leaders working together for the health and safety of youth online. The Coalition provides innovative resources, including parent tutorials and educational materials like the Faux Paw the Techno Cat® Internet safety book series and animated films for children. iKeepSafe uses its unique partnerships to disseminate the safety resources to families worldwide, including its Generation Safe™ program launched in the U.S., Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Vietnam. To learn more, visit