Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI)
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, going for the "everyday guy" vote in the Republican presidential primary, has a story he likes to tell about using so many coupons at Kohl's that "The next thing you know, they’re paying me to buy that shirt." Audiences are supposed to respond by thinking "Gosh, just think how careful he'll be with taxpayer money," but there's a funny story about
Scott Walker, Kohl's, and taxes.
When the Wisconsin-based company said it was considering moving its headquarters to another state, Walker got Kohl's to stay by offering a tax incentive package that could be worth up to $62.5 million, based on the company making $250 million in capital improvements and creating 3,000 jobs.
Slightly more than a quarter of those jobs have materialized. When the package was awarded, Kohl’s had 3,782 non-retail jobs in the state, according to the economic development agency. It now has 4,576, a gain of 794.
After announcing in 2012 plans to create a $250 million headquarters in Menomonee Falls, Kohl’s said the next year that it would instead add to its existing headquarters, citing disappointing financial results.
As of February 2014, Kohl’s had made $71.6 million in capital investments and received about $8.8 million in credits based on its spending and addition of employees, according to a corporation synopsis.
Walker certainly didn't pioneer the tactic of giving companies giant tax breaks to do business in his state. He's far from the only Republican to do so while saying things like "I believe people create jobs, not the government." But saying you believe the government doesn't create jobs while paying a company to create jobs in your state and then bragging about your thriftiness in using coupons at that company's stores as a standard part of your stump speech? Give him points for creativity, I guess.