The question of who should be getting the big tax breaks in Georgia has come to the fore following a Peach Pundit criticism of a Creative Loafing article saying the big breaks to big companies (like Ford in Hapeville) don't work.

Writes Ritzer:

I’m sure that the education system is an important factor, but I couldn’t disagree more with the remaining contentions.

Alan Essig, executive director of the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, writes:

In fact, the "don't tax and they will come" approach actually impedes Georgia's economic development in four significant ways. First, low tax enticements reduce the state's ability to generate revenue. Second, corporations can facilitate bidding wars among states to obtain huge tax concessions without ever offering assurances that a move to Georgia is for the long term. Third, the enticements are designed to favor large corporations, rather than the thousands of small businesses that truly provide the potential and fuel for Georgia's economic growth.

This is something we can disagree on, but it would be nice if critics like Ritzer come back with something a little more coherent than "I don't like it."