Expansion of food manufacturing and distribution in New Jersey is the topic of an article in the New York Times real estate section. It reports on a "30 million, 10-year tax break" for "Wenner Bread Products, which signed a lease for space in New Brunswick last year, moving the bulk of its operations from Long Island," New York. And it reports on the food company Goya: "An $82 million, 10-year tax credit from the state persuaded the company to stay."
Governing magazine took a tough look at Christie's tax incentives a few years back and found that Goldman Sachs was one of the largest recipients.
If Mr. Christie's presidential campaign gets any traction, expect to start reading about this sort of thing not only in the real estate section of the New York Times, but on the front page and in the national news section. The point isn't that New Jersey should stop competing with other states in this game, or that taxes shouldn't be lower, but that a better policy would lower taxes for all taxpayers rather than for the few large companies with the influence and patience to navigate the system of hoop-jumping that allows the governor to show up and claim credit for whatever jobs are created or retained.
