KC’s League of Women Voters Weigh in on TIF
The League of Women Voters of Kansas City/Jackson-Clay-Platte Counties recently released its study of tax-increment financing (TIF). In a radio...
Good Riddance to Bad Policy
The Joplin Globe recently reported that Joplin’s disaster recovery tax-increment financing (TIF) district is being closed after eight years, and...
Serious TIF Reform May Be in the Cards in 2020, With A Tweak
As we’ve often noted, tax-increment financing (TIF) in Missouri drains millions of dollars from legitimate government uses every year, often...
Kansas City’s Economic Development Corporation Is in Need of Overhaul
The Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City (EDC) seems unable to provide meaningful assistance to city leaders regarding economic development...
Some Positive Signs on Economic Development Incentives in Kansas City
Writers at the Show-Me Institute have been railing against the subsidy culture of Kansas City for years. A wide range...
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Theoretical Jobs
H&R Block once claimed to have created more than 2,000 new jobs by moving employees to a different building, courtesy...
TIF Tyranny Claims Another City
Last month, big business scored yet another victory at the expense of taxpayers. The University City Council unanimously approved a...
More Reason to be Skeptical of Economic Development Incentives
If you’re hoping that a new report on Kansas City’s economic development incentives accurately assesses their value, I’ve got some...
The More They Give, the More They Take
The bottom line regarding tax giveaways like tax increment financing (TIF) and other subsidies is this: The more officials hand...
Legislative Update: TIF Reform
Researchers and activists across Missouri have long decried the way in which city governments too easily give away taxpayer money....
Cities May Actually Be the Culprit in Underfunding Schools
Education funding is a hot topic in several states, with lawsuits alleging that state governments are failing to meet their...
What I Saw at the TIF Hearing
Anyone who has been paying attention to the Show-Me Institute over the past few years knows that our analysts are...
2018 Blueprint: Economic Development Subsidies
THE PROBLEM: Excessive use of economic development subsidies has diverted much-needed tax revenue to developers and away from schools and...
Fixing a Blight on Missouri Statutes
We’ve written for years about the failure of Missouri municipalities to focus their development efforts on reviving the moribund parts...
The Costs of Subsidies
We’ve written for years about the costs of development subsidies. Both how they hollow out the tax base and rob...
Real Incentive Reforms for Saint Louis
Economic development incentives like tax increment financing (TIF) and tax abatement have been grossly misused in Missouri’s two major cities...
Correction to Saint Louis TIF essay
The Show Me Institute’s recently-released paper, “Tax Increment Financing in Saint Louis,” contains an error. That error was quoted in...
Despite Subsidies, Joplin Rebuilt Itself
On May 22, 2011, a tornado ripped through Joplin, Missouri killing 166 people and damaging or destroying 7,500 structures. In...
Which Came First: the Investment Chicken or the Incentive Egg?
Saint Louis Mayor Francis Slay recently touted the amount of money—more than one billion dollars—that has been invested in the...
Subsidies in Saint Louis: Part 1
What would you think if your city officials had gambled with nearly $1 billion in taxpayer dollars? What would you...
