As an individual who has seen the Missouri tax credit program move people into areas and help reuse schools, libraries, streets, utilities, etc., I am not surprised that Stephen Kleinsmith ("Time to rein in Missouri's tax credits," Nov. 22) is unaware of these benefits. But I am surprised that he is unable to do simple arithmetic.
Every dollar of the credits he mentions generates construction, engineering, environmental, survey and many other jobs along with substantial sales taxes. All of this generates income for the state. Also there are permanent jobs such as management and maintenance of the properties along with ongoing real estate taxes. The real cost is the amount of credit minus the revenue it generates. There have been a number of studies identifying the real cost of these credits. One might debate exactly how much revenue they generate, but no one disputes that revenue is generated. So the $629 million quoted in his article is way off.
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I might also remind him of where the overwhelming amount of state revenue comes from: St. Louis and Kansas City. Maybe as superintendent of a school district, before he writes another article for a major newspaper, he should do his homework.
Tim Barry • Sunset Hills
