In Governor Roy Cooper’s 2017 State of the State address, he took a strident position against corporate tax cuts and giveaways: “We cannot sacrifice education at the altar of even more corporate tax cuts or giveaways that are mostly for the wealthiest.”
But as I asked earlier this year, does Cooper actually oppose them or not?
Here are selections from Cooper’s press releases going back to May 28, when he criticized the Senate budget for having corporate tax cuts.
- May 28: complained about corporate tax cuts
- May 28: announced $150,000 to Broad River Retail, LLC
- May 30: announced $3.3 million to Greenheck Group
- May 30: announced $4.2 million to Parexel International Corporation
- May 30: complained about corporate tax cuts
- June 7: announced $200,000 to KriGen Pharmaceuticals, LLC
- June 17: announced $2.2 million to JB Hamlet, LLC
- June 19: complained about corporate tax cuts
- June 20: announced $250,000 to CleanAire, LLC
- June 21: complained about corporate tax cuts
- June 24: complained about corporate tax cuts
- June 25: complained about corporate tax breaks
- June 27: announced $56.1 million to Lowe’s
- June 28: vetoed budget, citing corporate tax breaks as the first reason
- July 9: complained about corporate tax cuts
- July 10: announced $4.4 million to ABB, Inc.
- July 25: complained about corporate tax cuts
- July 26: complained about corporate tax cuts
- August 5: complained about corporate tax cuts
- August 6: announced $250,000 to Telephonics Corporation
- August 13: announced $12.3 million to Xerox
- August 19: complained about corporate tax breaks
- August 28: announced $200,000 to Kitsbow
- August 29: announced $1.2 million to Carvana
- August 29: announced $5.0 million to Policygenius
- September 9: announced $940,000 to PCB Piezotronics of North Carolina
- September 12: announced $500,000 to Medline Industries, Incorporated
- September 17: announced $3.5 million to Bharat Forge America, Inc.
- September 23: complained about corporate tax breaks
- September 30: boasted of North Carolina’s “excellent business climate with low costs and the nation’s lowest corporate income tax rate of 2.5%”
- October 2: announced $100,000 to Pallet Consultants of North Carolina
- October 4: announced $1.4 million to Ontic Engineering and Manufacturing, Inc.
- October 24: complained about corporate tax breaks
- October 24: announced $7.9 million to Microsoft Corp.
- October 30: announced $55,000 to BrightFarms
If that all seems confusing, see this discussion of the four policy combinations on corporate taxation and welfare — and which combo Cooper chooses and why.