From the Morning Call:
“Pennsylvania has filed a suit attempting to block the release of details about the financial benefits it offered Amazon in hopes of luring the company to build its second headquarters in the commonwealth.
The suit, filed late Tuesday in Commonwealth Court, seeks to overturn a ruling from the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records, which decided that the records are public and ordered the state to release the details.”
As a taxpayer, this makes me livid! Why on earth wouldn’t sunshine laws apply here? Of course, they should.
This is bad government being conducted behind closed doors. The public has every right to know when our tax dollars are being offered to corporations in the form of grants and subsidies.
The Office of Open Records ruled correctly earlier this year. This is without question public information. Currently, our State Government is challenging that ruling to keep this information hidden. And guess what? You and I, taxpayers are footing that legal bill.
The Wolf administration and General Assembly need to immediately take steps to release this information to Pennsylvania Taxpayers.
When local governments were considering ill conceived tax subsidies and gifts to an out of state shopping center developer, (Something I vocally opposed, fought and voted against) while it was being considered and debated we insisted and ensured ALL the relevant information was completely available to taxpayers for review in great detail. This is the opposite of that.
The entire deal from the beginning was drafted in secret, presented in secret and today State Government is using OUR tax dollars to try to keep it secret.
Read more: Ethics reform in PA? Don’t hold your breath..