States Want Promises Kept

Legislators push to increase accountability of businesses that receive government subsidies...

When businesses win tax incentives and other lucrative subsidies in exchange for a promise to create jobs, taxpayers expect companies to deliver. But some Massachusetts agencies give firms more leeway than others to honor the deals...

Dozens of state lawmakers are already backing a proposal to make the requirements tougher and more uniform. “We need a consistent clawback standard for all economic development programs,’’ said state Senator James Eldridge, Democrat of Acton, who has been pushing for more oversight of tax incentives for several years. [Full Article: Boston Globe]