Producer/Host: Amy Browne
Contributor/Engineer: John Greenman
Does General Dynamics Need $60 Million From the Pockets of Maine Taxpayers?
The Maine legislature is considering a proposal to give a huge tax break to a military contractor. At the request of BIW, Representative Jennifer DeChant, a Democrat from Bath is sponsoring LD1781, “An Act To Encourage New Major Investments in Shipbuilding Facilities and the Preservation of Jobs”. In introducing the bill she testified that it would provide tax incentives to keep BIW competitive in its marketplace and retain a large number of quality jobs in the state. The bill has several cosponsors from both parties, but it also has drawn harsh criticism from those who see it as corporate welfare that BIW’s parent company, General Dynamics, certainly doesn’t need from the pockets of Mainers. A public hearing for the bill was held before the legislature’s Committee on Taxation a few weeks ago. We’re going to start today listening to clips from that public hearing, recorded by documentary filmmaker Regis Tremblay, and then he and activist Bruce Gagnon will be joining us for an update on where things stand now.
FMI:
thebollard.com/2018/02/06/ship-of-fools/
nunesweekly.com/2018/02/09/maine-state-rep-jennifer-dechant-sought-corporate-talking-points-to-counter-activists/
www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1DP7YYS2b0&feature=em-subs_digest
www.facebook.com/space4peace/videos/10156020240713608/