Kearfott will lay off 96 employees. Nobody is saying if this is the result of it not receiving enough economic development incentives from the taxpayers, or, more specifically, if it had something to do with funding subsidies for the competition. I mean, wouldn’t it be special if GE Aviation was able to undercut some business from Kearfott with its government grants, forcing 96 layoffs to create 52 jobs?
Here’s the crazy-talk explanation: If Buncombe County had denied GE their incentives, GE would have taken its but-for and hauled it to another jurisdiction with more generous taxpayers. Had all jurisdictions decided GE didn’t need their money, then we must assume GE would be unable to accept the contract(s) that require its expansion. If GE couldn’t get the contracts, then some other manufacturer in the aviation industry, like Kearfott, would.
Then again, Kearfott has plants in two other parts of the country. For all I know, the taxpayers there offered enough incentives to woo Kearfott’s but-for.
