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Mississippi has chased “economic development” longer than most states. Since the 1930s, our main tactic has been to lure outside companies with tax breaks, special deals, and public money. The targets changed—factories, shipyards, auto plants—but the approach stayed the same: politicians pick winners, taxpayers carry the risk, and the promised jobs often fall short.
The record tells a plain story. Big incentive packages make for great ribbon-cuttings, but they rarely lift the whole economy. They tilt the field toward a few large firms and away from the family businesses that create most new jobs. They also drain the treasury. When leaders hand out credits and tax breaks to a handful of companies, everyone else pays more—or local services get cut to make up the difference. Clawbacks sound tough, but they recover little and arrive long after the headlines fade.
There is a better path, and it is boring on purpose: clear rules that apply to everyone. States with low, simple taxes—broad base, modest rates, few exemptions—attract investment without writing checks. When we cut needless licenses and paperwork, more Mississippians can work, start side gigs, and grow into employers. When we protect property rights and due process—tight limits on civil asset forfeiture, predictable enforcement—capital stays put and new capital shows up. When parents can choose schools, skills rise where people live, not just where a corporation parks a plant.
Our habit of one-off deals also warps local politics. City halls become gatekeepers of “opportunity.” Companies learn that lobbying can beat competing. The codebook swells with exceptions and carve-outs. Meanwhile, the general business climate gets harder for the folks who don’t have lobbyists. That’s not conservative; it’s favoritism. Pro-business shouldn’t mean pro-favor. It should mean pro-market—one set of rules, fairly enforced.
Watch where people move. Families move toward places where work is open, rules are stable, and the tax bite is predictable. Entrepreneurs start where they’re trusted to try, fail, and try again without asking permission from a board or chasing a grant. That’s the kind of growth that compounds: a thousand small decisions to invest, hire, and build—made every day by people who know the rules won’t change with the next press conference.
So what should Mississippi do?
End targeted giveaways. If a zero tax bill is “needed” for one firm, lower rates for everyone instead.
Simplify the tax code. Fewer credits and carve-outs; broader base and lower rates.
Cut red tape and shrink licensing. Protect health and safety, not incumbents.
Strengthen property rights. Tighten forfeiture and keep enforcement even-handed.
Expand school choice. Grow talent at home so employers don’t have to import it.
Mississippi doesn’t need a bigger checkbook. It needs a better rulebook. When the state tries to act like a banker, we gamble with other people’s money and lose leverage. When the state acts like an umpire—neutral, limited, predictable—we invite real prosperity: free people starting businesses, hiring neighbors, and keeping more of what they earn. That’s how a poor state gets rich—and stays that way.
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