Editor, The Era-Leader:
Big Solar is not your friend!!!
They seek to lease large tracts of land and not pay property taxes.
They seek to reap profits without any real benefits to our parish. The electrical power they will produce is not going to our parish. It will not reduce your utility bills.
The owners of the land being leased for some reason are unconcerned about the non-taxed status of utility scale solar projects. These taxes would go to support our schools, our law enforcement agencies, our fire fighting and protection services, our roadway repairs and construction, along with our bridges and drainage projects.
This begs the question as to WHY?.
They live in this parish. Their children go to the schools in this parish. They drive on the roads of this parish. Their homes and property rely on the fire departments and law enforcement to protect them. WHY wouldn't they support taxing these utility scale solar projects the same as all the other citizens of this parish are taxed for the same things?
Wouldn't they want to see our teachers and school support staff get paid better? Wouldn't they want to be able to offer higher salaries and benefits to attract more teachers to our schools? Wouldn't they want to see better school facilities and maintenance?
Wouldn't they want our firefighters to have top-of-the-line equipment to protect them and have better fire fighting capabilities?
Wouldn't they want to see more law enforcement personnel patrolling our parish in better vehicles, with better training and equipment? Wouldn't they want to see our law enforcement people paid better salaries and have better benefits?
Wouldn't they want to see the parish roads in better shape? Wouldn't they want to have better maintenance of our roadways so they would be safer and more comfortable to travel?
You, me and almost every person who lives in this parish pay taxes.....WHY SHOULD THESE LARGE SCALE SOLAR UTILITIES BE EXEMPT FROM BEING TAXED???
The ITEP, Industrial Tax Exemption Program, was instituted to attract manufacturers to build or expand to our state. It was meant to increase investments and create jobs from these industries.
Large Scale Solar Utilities invest only what is necessary to operate their business profitably. The only jobs they create are what is necessary for their construction. These are temporary jobs. Your local Dollar General Store creates more permanent full-time and part-time jobs than these Solar Utilities.
So, again, the question is, why grant a 5 year tax exemption, with a guaranteed renewal of 5 more years, to an industry whose benefit to our parish is very miniscule.
The only real benefit, it seems, is to a few large land owners willing to lease their property to the Solar Utilities.
Ben M Sarro
Franklinton
