Go Utah Board chair Carine Clark's financial disclosures show how hard it is to track the conflicts of Utah's tax break board.
In the two years since Clark’s affiliation with Pelion, three Utah technology firms that Pelion has invested in have been awarded tax incentives by GOEO, with approval from the Go Utah Board.
. Pelion participated in six funding rounds for the company between 2017 and 2021, including financing $5 million in debt in 2019.The vote by the board is not the final say in how tax incentives are handled. The board holds a public vote to either approve or reject the application, but that vote is only a recommendation.“We ask board members for disclosures once a year. The onus is on them to fill those forms out and return them to us.
“Any entrepreneur who reaches out to me — whether associated with Pelion or not — I’m happy to help,” Clark said in an email. She did not respond when asked directly if she was an investor in any of Pelion’s funds. “I take my GOEO role very seriously. I don’t help any companies in their efforts to secure a tax incentive. The process is pretty clear and it’s not something I do,” Clark said.Utah’s laws say very little on how to handle conflicts of interest. A public officer with a “substantial” financial relationship with a company that falls under the state agency they’re affiliated with must declare that conflict.
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