Tax Incentives

When governments use public money to woo national chains, economic growth and job creation aren't worth the cost, says Stacy Mitchell of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. Independent retailers also suffer.

A new study from the nonprofit research center Good Jobs First looks into how relocation tax breaks for businesses have encouraged sprawl in the Cleveland and Cincinnati metropolitan areas.

Fueled by a generous tax incentive, Michigan has seen its film industry grow in recent years. Much of that growth is centered in Metropolitan Detroit, and is expected to continue its upward trend.

As states elbow each other to lure movie makers to their markets with increasingly attractive tax incentives, some say the competition has gone too far.

Tax breaks and incentives helped spur a rash of development in Portland's South Waterfront district. But the development has struggled to lure residents.

In an otherwise stalled local economy, a few new construction projects are underway in Michigan, thanks to new tax incentives that are drawing the film industry to the state.

States around the country have delivered big tax breaks to film companies to shoot in their area, but do they pay off? A recent study in New Mexico says no.