Democrats and Republicans have united in criticizing Carrier Corporation after the company announced it will move 1,400 jobs from Indianapolis to Mexico.
“As governor, I was profoundly disappointed to learn that Carrier Corporation and United Technologies would relocate jobs and operations to Mexico, costing hard-working Hoosiers more than 2,100 jobs,” stated Governor Mike Pence. “My heart goes out to all the families and communities that are affected by this news.”
Democratic Indianapolis council member Zach Adamson told the media the company he uses to heat his house “does not want Mexican-made Carrier products.” Adamson also insisted Indianapolis must “claw back the incentives and benefits they have received to be here.”
Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-IN) has demanded Carrier return any federal or tax money it received to keep jobs in Indiana.
“I spoke with a Carrier executive late last week and called on the company to return the federal tax credit,” Donnelly said in a statement, adding:
I let him know that the tax credit they received was contingent upon job creation in the United States, and that hard working taxpayers, especially the 2,100 Hoosiers who learned last week they will lose their jobs, will expect that money back. Carrier indicated that they intended to meet their obligations, and I intend to hold them to that.
The Indiana Economic Development Corporation said contracts with the HVAC company “are still active, ‘meaning they must remain compliant and maintain a certain number of jobs for Hoosiers throughout that contract.'”
“Closing a facility would also result in non-compliance,” said spokeswoman Abby Gras.
Local media reported the “Department of Energy awarded Carrier $5.1 million in clean energy tax credits in December 2013” for its Indianapolis facility. They planned to use the money to “expand production at its Indianapolis facility to meet increasing demand for its eco-friendly condensing gas furnace product line.”
Michelle Caldwell, Carrier’s Manager of Marketing Communications, told Breitbart News the company has not received or claimed a $5.1 million federal tax credit.
“While we were named a recipient in Dec. 2013, we have not yet received the credit,” she said. “We would have been eligible to receive it this year, however, as noted yesterday, we will not claim it.”
She added:
The quote in a Jan. 2014 press release does not state that we had received the funding. It references that the program “has been instrumental” in helping the facility accelerate production of its high-efficiency gas furnace line. The tax credit, if it had been received, would have supported the investment Carrier made into its high-efficiency gas furnace line.
Breitbart News has reached out to the Department of Energy for confirmation of Carrier’s claims.
At the time, John Gibbons, director of Carrier’s residential product and platform strategy, said the cash “has been instrumental in helping Carrier’s Indianapolis manufacturing facility accelerate production of our high-efficiency gas furnace line.”
The Department of Energy reports:
Energy Efficient Buildings: With the support of $5.1 million in 48C Program tax credits, Carrier Corporation will expand production at its Indianapolis facility to meet increasing demand for its eco-friendly condensing gas furnace product line. The new line includes the most energy efficient gas furnaces on the market – all with at least 95 percent annual fuel utilization efficiency.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.