Developers Seek $6 Million Tax Break for Trump-Managed Hotel<br />Although the authority is still reviewing the application, a business plan the Chawlas submitted to local officials in December stated<br />that the hotel “utilizes local tax credits and the Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) Tourism Tax Rebate program,” and that “our development team is securing final agreements.”<br />The executive director of the authority, Glenn McCullough Jr., has shown support for President Trump<br />and is an appointee of the state’s Republican governor, Phil Bryant.<br />The Chawla brothers are already financing the project through a bank loan, but Dinesh Chawla said in an email to<br />that the Mississippi tourism tax rebate would “improve our cash flow.” The Chawlas, who applied for the rebate in late December, are also planning to use city and county property tax abatements, records show.<br />As President Trump’s family business prepares to open a hotel in the Mississippi Delta this fall, its local development partners have asked the State<br />of Mississippi to subsidize the project with up to $6 million in tax breaks, according to documents obtained through an open records request.<br />On Dec. 28, the Chawlas submitted the tax rebate application for the Cleveland hotel with the Mississippi Development<br />Authority, according to a redacted partial copy of the application obtained through the records request.<br />“State law guides the application process, and state law alone will determine if any application is approved.”<br />Mr. Bryant had ties to the Chawlas before the election, having honored their father, V. K. Chawla for his contributions to state tourism.
