New Scrutiny for the Federal 'Opportunity Zones' Program

Opportunity Zones—a new federal program that flew under the radar of the GOP tax reform bill signed at the end of 2017—has been moving along and attracting new attention from media outlets.

2 minute read

April 27, 2018, 5:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017

South Carolina Opportunity Zones / South Carolina Governor's Office

A growing number of articles have been published in the past several weeks and days scrutinizing the potential impact of the new Opportunity Zones program, created by the GOP tax reform bill of 2017 to provide new economic development opportunities for struggling communities across the density spectrum.

The deadline for governors to submit economically distressed communities for eligibility in the Opportunity Zones program came and went on March 21, with states like OhioTexas, and South Carolina making news for their selections. With that major benchmark in the program past, more media outlets are beginning to ponder the potential consequences of the program. Here's a roundup of recent and relevant news and commentary:

Opportunity360, created by Enterprise Community Partners, has also created an interactive map it's calling the "Opportunity Zone Eligibility Tool" that shows which census tracts have been designated by governors for eligibility under the program.

Wednesday, April 18, 2018 in Opportunity360

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