Shirt Changers (New York State regional term?)

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New York State's "Empire Zones" are areas (usually of inner cities) where  
employers get tax breaks for hiring "new" workers. Some "new" workers were  
really old workers under different job titles (or company names)--"shirt  
changers." The New York State term has caught on, especially since a May  2007 
editorial in a Syracuse newspaper.
...
...
... 
(SUNDAY NEW YORK TIMES REGIONAL EDITORIAL)
_http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/05/opinion/nyregionopinions/NYempire-1.html?_r
=1&ref=nyregionopinions&oref=slogin_ 
(http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/05/opinion/nyregionopinions/NYempire-1.html?_r=1&ref=nyregionopinions&oref=slogin) 
 
Questions arose a few years ago after news reports about the games being  
played with Empire Zones. Some of the stories were outrageous, like the company  
that claimed a tax credit of $250,000 and created one job paying $26,000. Or 
the  “shirt-changers” who were simply changing the federal identification 
number of  their companies and then taking credit for all their old employees as 
new hires. 
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...
(GOOGLE NEWS ARCHIVES)
_Communities Sell Empire Zone Rights to Companies for  Millions_ 
(http://www.syracuse.com/articles/specialreports/index.ssf?/base/business-5/116246219926555
0.xml&coll=1&thispage=7) 
Syracuse Post  Standard - Feb 18, 2007     for this they earned the nickname “
shirt  changers.” the state eliminated a decade’s worth of taxes for these  
Companies, though some laid off workers. ... 
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_http://blog.syracuse.com/specialreports/2007/05/editorial_go_after_the_shirt_
c.html_ (http://blog.syracuse.com/specialreports/2007/05/editori
al_go_after_the_shirt_c.html) 
 
Editorial: Go after the shirt changers
Posted by _jlammers_ (http://blog.syracuse.com/specialreports/about.html)  
May 08, 2007 5:08PM
Categories: Empire Zones
 
An _editorial _ 
(http://www.syracuse.com/articles/opinion/index.ssf?/base/opinion-1/1178614835312080.xml&coll=1) in Tuesday's paper challenges the 
Legislature  to act. It concludes:  
"Today's hearing can serve as the impetus to return the program to its  
original mission - or scrap it and begin again. The result should not harm  
businesses that are operating under the spirit of the law; they should continue  to 
get the benefits.  
"But the businesses that essentially "changed their shirts," by acting as if  
they were new companies when they were not, should be booted from the 
program.  They and others with similar tricks should no longer be allowed to collect 
their  corporate welfare checks."




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