Rankin county approves tax breaks for businesses
BRANDON — The Rankin County Board of Supervisors approved ad valorem tax exemptions Aug. 14 for a slate of manufacturers and warehouse operators, including Nucor Steel, International Paper, Wayne Sanderson Farms and Trilogy Communications, after one supervisor's motion to deny all the requests failed for lack of a second.
The tax assessor's office, presenting the applications, told the board the exemptions would reduce projected county revenue on new equipment; on Trilogy Communications alone, the office said, "without the exemption we would collect about $10,000 on their new equipment... with this exemption, we would be um collecting about $6,200."
One dissenting supervisor argued the companies "can pay taxes like we pay taxes," while other board members said Rankin County risks losing investment to counties offering the same incentives. The exemptions were approved on a divided vote.