Florida's governor is trying to convince Yale University to move to the Sunshine State
Rick Scott had fun with a proposal in the Connecticut legislature that could have taxed Yale's sizeable endowment.
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Your support makes all the difference.The campus of Yale University is famous for its stone architecture and greenery, but not so much for its sandy beaches.
Florida Governor Rick Scott would like to change that and has let Yale know that if the Ivy League university is ever looking for a home outside Connecticut, Florida would be waiting with open arms.
"We would welcome a world-renowned university like Yale to our state," Gov. Scott said in a statement, before adding, "And I can commit that we will not raise taxes on their endowment."
The mention of increased taxes on the university's $25 billion endowment is a reference to a proposal in the Connecticut legislature that would hike taxes to cover increasing deficits in the coming years.
But it appears that Yale will be staying put, as a spokesman for Connecticut Governor Daniel Malloy said the state has no intention of imposing heavier taxes on Yale's endowment.
"Many proposals are put forward during the legislative session and many stay as just that -- proposals," Devon Puglia told the Hartford Courant, "We value Yale, the students it educates, the research and innovation it generates, and the neighborhoods it strengthens in New Haven. As the governor made clear, we don't believe that new taxes should be part of our solution as Connecticut adjusts to a new economic reality."
Not that Yale ever even considered Gov. Scott's offer, which was always more of a hopeful joke than serious proposal.
"It's wonderful to be recognized as an outstanding asset, but Yale, New Haven and Connecticut have been on common group to great mutual benefit for 300 years," Yale spokesman Tom Conroy said to the Associated Press.
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