Don’t give tax break to General Mills

Isn't it great? One of the Fortune 500 companies is considering an expansion in Cedar Rapids that will create 41 jobs. Of course it would be contingent on how much city and state tax breaks we give them.

We all know Gov. Terry Branstad never met a business tax break he didn't like, but maybe we should be asking those Fortune 500 companies how much they are going to kick in for our roads. They use our roads and other infrastructure, don't they? It's not like those “created jobs” won't benefit the company and some worker will be working hard for the money.

Does anybody think General Mills needs a tax break?

For most corporations, a tax break means a bigger tax rebate from the federal government. According to their website, General Mills is a profitable company that paid out $490 million to shareholders last year. Maybe we should ask the shareholders to kick in for the roads instead of the people making minimum wage. But as Leona Helmsley said in the 1980s, “Only little people pay taxes.”

Jeanne Liston

Coralville