Corporate Tax Carve Outs in Rankin Approved
Rankin County Board Approves Tax Exemptions for Four Companies, President Dissents
The Rankin County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 on Sept. 15 to grant ad valorem tax exemptions to four companies after state certification of their eligibility.
According to the board's minutes, supervisors approved a resolution covering "Trilogy Communications, Inc. (2 applications); Nucor Steel Jackson, Inc.; International Paper Company; Wayne-Sanderson Farms, Inc. (3 applications)," following a letter from the Mississippi Department of Revenue stating the requests were "certified as eligible and approved." Supervisors Jay Bishop, Steve Gaines, Brad Calhoun and Phil Schoggen voted in favor. Board President Sid Scarbrough cast the lone dissenting vote. The minutes do not record his stated reason, nor do they specify the dollar value or duration of the exemptions.
Such exemptions reduce the amount these companies would otherwise pay into the local tax base, a tool Mississippi officials commonly use to attract or retain industry. The split vote, with the board's president breaking from his colleagues, points to disagreement among local officials over the use of corporate tax incentives — an issue tracked statewide both for its fiscal cost to counties and for the divisions it creates among elected boards.