2014 Urban Affairs Association Conference

Tax-increment financing (TIF) has emerged as one of the most popular public tools of development finance. With its gain in popularity, the question remains whether governments that use this tool experience more economic growth than those that do not. Existing research aimed at this question have used site-specific case studies and a national phone survey to determine TIF use led to property value growth of any kind. But the question remains whether across jurisdictional lines any distinctions in economic growth exist broadly between cities that use TIF and cities that do not. This paper seeks to answer that question by examining job, property value and per capita income growth from 2000 to 2010 for a random sample of 60 cities with over 100,000 residents. Using US Census Bureau job growth and income data and property value data from city financial reports, this paper uses multiple and panel regression analysis to determine whether TIF users tend to experience higher levels of property value, job, and income growth than non-users. The paper finds that on average, TIF use has no statistically significant effects on property value growth, job growth, or per capita income growth, however the long-term TIF use produces some negative effects.