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Rauner corporate tax-break plan tighten rules, draw critics

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) - Gov. Bruce Rauner has taken steps he says will rein in the state's sometimes controversial system of corporate tax breaks.

But the announcement has been met by complaints from big business and longtime critics of corporate tax breaks.

The state now will demand that companies create jobs rather than merely preserve what they have. The changes also would eliminate special deals some businesses have demanded and gotten as they weigh offers to move.

The Republican governor's administration says the changes are aimed at creating fiscal responsibility.

Todd Maisch is president of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce. He believes eliminating tax breaks for job retention hamstrings Illinois in competition with other states for jobs.

State Rep. Jack Franks is a longtime tax-breaks critic. The Democrat says Rauner's changes are good but not enough.

FILE - In this Sept. 2, 2015 file photo, Illinois Rep. Jack Franks, D-Woodstock, appears during session at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield, Ill. Gov. Bruce Rauner has taken steps he says will make the state's sometimes controversial system of corporate tax breaks more effective and fair. Franks is a longtime tax-breaks critic. He says Rauner’s changes are good but don’t go far enough. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman, File) The Associated Press
FILE - A May 4, 2011 file photo shows the entrance to the Sears Holdings Corp. in Hoffman Estates, Ill. Gov. Bruce Rauner has taken steps he says will make the state's sometimes controversial system of corporate tax breaks more effective and fair. In 2011, then-Gov. Pat Quinn agreed to hundreds of millions of dollars in special tax breaks for Sears Holdings Corp. and CME Group when the companies threatened to leave the state. Tax breaks for companies considering a new location or a move have long been criticized by experts who believe they play little if any role in companies' decision making. (Mark Welsh/Daily Herald, via AP File) The Associated Press
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