Dear Coffee Party Members and Friends,

There is an opportunity for all of us to make a massive change in the way state and local governments disclose how many subsidies they give to Walmart, Amazon, Boeing, and others in the name of economic development.

There is a small but powerful organization called Government Accounting Standards Board (GASB) that is considering a rule change that forces state and local governments to reveal how much tax abatement they are giving to corporations to try and attract jobs. They are looking for public comment right now and up to mid-January.

Here's where you can make a difference. GASB and Walmart don't think there will be much public comment so this attempt to shine an accounting light on corporate subsidies will fall by the wayside. If just 1% or 2% of all Coffee Party members and friends respond, it could convince GASB to enact this accounting rule. If 10% respond, it would almost force them to make the change.

Go to the link listed below and listen to my Coffee Party conversation with Pulitzer Prize-winner David Cay Johnston. Learn about the issue, link to a couple relevant articles in the link, and feel welcome to copy the sample email you can send to [email protected]

It's all laid out for you to easily make the government report its subsidies.

Here is the link:

www.danahey.com/a-simple-way-you-will-make-government-subsidies-to-business-more-transparent-a-conversation-with-david-cay-johnston/

Please copy us in any comments you send and we'll try to publish what we can.

Thanks for being active,

Tim Danahey
Director for Public and Member Relations