McCollum, Dockery and Sink offer difering economic views

TALLAHASSEE - Florida's three leading contenders for governor Monday divided on how to kick-start the state's stalled economy, particularly on how to dole out tax incentives to business groups and industries.



While Democrat Alex Sink and Republican Paula Dockery both promoted the idea of offering tax breaks to spur job-creation, Republican Bill McCollum said the approach is not a panacea.



"Targeted tax credits, in my experience in Washington, were minimally effective," said McCollum, a former 10-term congressman from the Orlando-area.



"They can be in the short run, but in the long run they are not effective," he added. "But I think all of us wish there were a simple solution to the recreation of jobs in Florida."



To balance the budget in these bleak economic times, Florida is simply going to have to cut the budget, McCollum said, though he said he wasn't prepared yet to say in any detail where those cuts should be.



McCollum's stark assessment of tax giveaways is a departure from the approach advanced by fellow Republican, Gov. Charlie Crist, who has recommended $293.7 million in direct business tax credits and incentives in his $69.2 billion budget.



Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, also has advanced a wide-ranging package of tax credits with a price-tag easily topping $100 million. Dockery, a Lakeland Senate Republican, sided more closely with Gaetz by saying she is working on a more modest line-up of tax incentives tied to job creation.



Sink, the state's chief financial officer, also said she saw tax breaks as being part of Florida's effort toward recovery.



"I would certainly support tax incentives - they have to be designed properly," Sink said. "If they are able to design a tax credit or incentive for businesses that grow employment, that gets us the results we really want."



The three contenders spoke Monday at a forum in Tallahassee sponsored by the National Federation of Independent Business and Florida TaxWatch. Few specifics were on the table - but the candidates all hinted they planned to play an aggressive role during the upcoming session in reviving the state's economy.



Dockery said that she would try to help businesses by streamlining permitting and paperwork. Although it may sound paradoxical, Dockery said that as ...