25-year study: Most corporate tax incentives do more harm than good

Rolling out the red carpet for corporations with tax incentives often comes at a steep cost to cities and states, according to a comprehensive new study that tracks 25 years of such incentives. “We found that in almost all instances, these corporate tax incentives cost states millions of dollars, if not more, and the returns were minimal,” says co-author Bruce McDonald, an associate professor of public administration at North Carolina State. The agreements “ultimately left states in worse financial condition than they were in to begin with.”