Businesses should invest more in communities

To the Editor:

In theory, tax abatements stimulate business growth, loyalty to the community and are to provide raises and bonuses in salaries for their employees. In reality, the businesses run tax-free and their profits are never seen by their employees or community.

If a business receives a tax abatement, they should be made to assist their community and their employees. They should be assigned several areas of the community in which they are made to donate to help those areas.

A former computer technology firm made it a point to help local schools and the community, and assisted their employees to prosper through huge donations and employee incentives and retirements. Their loyalty ran deep for the surrounding area and their employees.

Today, if tax abatements were not given to local businesses, they would pull up roots and move to where they would receive another tax abatement, with little concern for employees or the community.

A business receiving a tax abatement should be MADE to donate to our schools, community and local infrastructure. That entity should be MADE to make regular salary increases to their employees.

If you are a driver on U.S. Highway 231, 40, State Road 240 and I-70, you will observe truck after truck using its route. There is no way for these highways to sustain such weight, speed and abuse. Most of the dump trucks have disclaimers on their tailgates that it is not their responsibility if their leaky load breaks your windshield. There is no way to even know their license plate numbers, because their plates are on the front bumper of their vehicles. Many of these vehicles are from businesses receiving tax abatements.

Who bears the burden for our infrastructure? The lower class, lower-middle class, middle class and upper-middle class. We are the backbone of the United States. We carry the repairs and maintenance of the United States.

Businesses: If you want your tax abatement, then start taking a HUGE interest in your employees and the community you’re a part of. We, the actual taxpayers, cannot withstand the weight of your apathy toward our community.

The statement “The rich get richer and the poor get poorer” is holding true with tax abatements.

Richard Taylor

Greencastle