TaxProf points to a “brazen” Powerpoint (!) presentation by Big 4 Accounting firm Ernst & Young: Turning Your State Government Relations Department from a Money Pit into a Cash Cow.

Ernst & Young delivered the PowerPoint presentation at a recent meeting of the State Government Affairs Council, which bills itself as “the premier national association for multi-state government affairs professionals of over 120 major US corporations, trade associations and service providers.” Ernst & Young made the pitch to a who’s who of leading companies — Alcoa, Anheuser-Busch, Bank of America, Bayer, BellSouth, Best Buy, Capital One, Coors, Goodyear, Home Depot, MBNA, Microsoft, Nextel, Nissan, Pfizer, Toyota, Verizon, and Wal-Mart.
Ernst & Young acknowledges that taxpayers don’t like corporate welfare but suggests ways to “provide government with justification” for giving tax incentives to businesses. A key strategy is to identify “public benefits” while making a threat of dire consequences if the deal is not made. At the same time, the PowerPoint presentation suggests techniques to prevent states from rescinding the tax incentives if the promised public benefits do not materialize.