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Investigation Raises Doubts About Tax Breaks And Job Creation

A Toledo Blade investigation into whether taxpayer funding creates jobs in Ohio shows state documents inflating the number of jobs created by more than 11 thousand. The Ohio Development Services Agency says it has improved the process for tracking whether state loans, grants, and tax credits create jobs, but The Blade found the agency is still largely unaware if companies create the jobs they promise. 37 percent of the grant reports businesses submitted from 2006 through this year contained errors, including incorrect job-creation numbers. The state depends on companies to assess whether they create jobs. Development Services Agency employees almost never visit businesses that receive state incentives. Most of the records related to job growth are now shielded from public scrutiny thanks to laws passed by majority Republicans in the state legislature.

Jim has been with WCBE since 1996. Before that he worked as a reporter at another Columbus radio station, and for three newspapers in Southwest Florida.
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