Auditor General DePasquale to Launch Audit of Pennsylvania’s Job Creation Programs

November 19 2013

Auditor General DePasquale to Launch Audit of Pennsylvania’s Job Creation Programs

HARRISBURG (Nov. 19, 2013)– Auditor General Eugene DePasquale today announced that in early December he will begin a performance audit of the Department of Community and Economic Development’s job creation programs.

“Each year Pennsylvania spends millions of dollars on job creation. During this audit we will closely review these programs to identify those that are succeeding and those that are not so that we can make recommendations to improve the way the state encourages job development,” DePasquale said. “We must ensure that we are getting an acceptable return on investment — the kind of middle class job creation results that taxpayers deserve and that our economy requires.”The audit will cover the following economic development programs:

• Pennsylvania First, which provides grants, loans and loan guarantees for equipment, job training, site development, working capital and land, building and right-of-way acquisition;
• Infrastructure and Facilities Improvement Program, which provides grants to redevelopment authorities to cover debt service;
• Job Creation Tax Credits, which provides a $1,000 per job tax credit to create new jobs in Pennsylvania within three years;
• Partnerships for Regional Economic Performance, which is a statewide network of regional partners that provide new and existing companies with tools for business development and growth;
• Marketing to Attract Business, which promotes Pennsylvania as a destination for business development; and
• Film Tax Credit, which provides tax incentives to encourage expanding the film, television and other production in Pennsylvania.

The audit is expected to cover an evaluation and assessment of DCED’s administration, oversight, monitoring and enforcement of the job creation programs. The audit will cover July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2013.

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