New Poll Shows Tennesseans Extremely Opposed to Corporate Handouts

Press release, The Beacon Center, NASHVILLE – In a recent statewide survey conducted by icitizen polling among registered voters in Tennessee, the Beacon Center included several questions related to corporate handouts. The responses made it clear that Tennesseans are fiercely opposed to the practice of giving taxpayer money to big corporations.

Among the results, an overwhelming 69% of Tennesseans do not believe that the state government should be using taxpayer money to give handouts to certain businesses. Only 15% of Tennesseans believe it is the government's job to give businesses handouts. In addition, a whopping 72% of Tennesseans agree that the state government is not transparent when it comes to giving incentives to corporations, which includes 77% of Democrats.

Beacon spokesman Mark Cunningham stated, "We could not be more pleased with these poll results and they echo what we have been hearing from around the state. People are sick and tired of their hard-earned tax dollars going to big corporations at the expense of small businesses. It's an unfair system."

Cunningham went on to note, "It's not the government's job to pick winners and losers. Whether it's Regal Cinemas in Knoxville, Volkswagen in Chattanooga, Bass Pro Shops in Memphis, or one of the many hotels getting big money in Nashville, businesses should succeed on what they provide consumers, not who they know in government. We have already started educating the public on what corporate handouts really entail, and this poll shows our efforts have already started to pay off. We have a multi-year plan to educate the taxpayers of Tennessee on the downfalls of corporate favoritism that will hopefully lead to the end of this corrupt practice once and for all."

 

Russell P. Reeder, CEO and co-founder of icitizen discussed the findings of the survey. "Voters are clear that they are wary of corporate handouts and want government to be more transparent with the incentives it provides to corporations. It calls for more openness and communication between the people and their government. We are happy to provide organizations such as the Beacon Center with reliable, cost-effective polling to understand public opinion.”

You can read the full results of the poll by clicking here.

 

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