You give me $60 million.
I’ll give you $100 million.
Would you do it?
Of course you would. You’d be silly not to.
Opponents of the proposed tax incentive for Bath Iron Works and its parent company General Dynamics will tell you it’s corporate welfare. It’s not. It’s an investment in our communities and state that’s guaranteed to have a return on investment.
General Dynamics wants to spend money in the state. The last time Maine gave the company a tax incentive of $60 million, with the contingency that it invest $200 million in Maine, it spent $500 million.
That money went to shipyard improvements like the land level transfer facility; the lead contractor was Reed & Reed, a Maine company. It went toward building Ultra Hall, a new blast and paint building, and to dozens of other projects, completed by Maine residents working for Maine companies. The company even resurfaced and expanded parking lots; the lead contractor was Crooker, out of Topsham.
All of these improvements not only benefit the Mainers who perform the work, they also benefit the men and women who work at the shipyard itself. New facilities help them complete work faster, for less money, and more safely than ever before.
That makes the shipyard more competitive in the industry, which brings more work to the shipyard, which brings more jobs to the shipyard. And don’t forget that the people who take those jobs pay taxes, which almost completely pay back the entire investment.
I’m asking you to support Maine’s investment in one of our largest employers. It just makes good financial sense.
Sean Holshouser
North Yarmouth
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