preview

Essay on Tax Increment Financing

Decent Essays

Tax Increment Financing

Economic growth is the focus of every city. Through economies of scale cities such as Chicago and New York continue to experience great economic expansion. Continued growth, however, opens up the gateway for urban sprawl and the lack of a centralized economy. As cities expand their land use people disregard once thriving centers of industry and business and locate next to newly developed "Greenfield" type businesses. Often times the only thing left in the wake are rundown, abandoned business districts. In an effort to revitalize these deserted areas, councils in charge of economic development will use many different policies. An occasionally controversial policy is called a TIF or Tax Increment …show more content…

The increase in taxes paid is known as the increment- the difference between taxes paid after appreciation in relation to the base property tax. This newly acquired property tax revenue is used to improve the infrastructure and pay off existing bonds. City improvements are probably the greatest achievement of the TIF program. In Columbus, Ohio the "TIF provides a tool to redevelop a long-neglected inner-city site (Ball 1999)." The site would call for a revamped on and off ramp on I-71. After completion there should be a marked decrease in "traffic congestion in the area (Ball 1999)." . Councilmen in Kansas City believe that "street upgrades are critical because they would provide a gateway to the proposed Town of Kansas Archeological Park (Davis 1999)." Roads are not the only benefactors of these programs. Overall aesthetics within the TIFs are also improved.
With the increase in property taxes, better looking housing replaces existing rundown buildings. Carl Anderson, a resident of Chicago, states that "Property values are going up, and it's starting to look nice. I can remember when we first moved in 12 years ago and my car was in the back and someone burned it (Podmolik 2000)." A long with improved safety people are finding increased street lighting, shrubbery, and green grass. Utilities like buried electric power lines, increased police

Get Access