Business Quote by Vincent Frank

A tax abatement is supposed to read like a scalpel: a targeted cut that removes a specific obstacle to investment. Vincent Frank’s line suggests it’s being used more like a rubber stamp. The key move is procedural rather than ideological. He doesn’t attack abatements outright; he attacks the process that justifies them, which is often the real battleground in local economic policy.

“Scrutinize the entire abatement process” is bureaucratic language with a moral charge. It implies that the current system is either lazy, captured, or designed to avoid hard questions. The phrase “companies that are under consideration” nods to an insider reality: these deals are negotiated in back rooms, presented as fait accompli, and surrounded by optimistic projections that are hard to audit after the ribbon-cutting. Frank’s demand is for a pre-deal standard of evidence, not post-deal regret.

The most revealing word is “truly.” It’s a quiet accusation that “need” has been redefined as “wants” or “asked.” In many cities, abatements become a default incentive in a race against neighboring jurisdictions, even when the company would have built there anyway. Frank is signaling suspicion of that familiar shell game: public revenue traded for private promises, with limited verification and even less accountability.

“I don’t believe that is being done now” keeps the tone measured while landing a clear indictment. It’s a credibility play: he positions himself as the adult in the room, arguing that the real controversy isn’t growth versus taxes, but evidence versus theater.