Tax Incentives

What Some States Do To Disclose Tax Incentive Info

Emilie Ritter Saunders — Fri, 04 May 2012 20:22:54 +0000

A recent report from Pew Center on the States lists Idaho among 26 states ‘trailing behind’ when it comes to evaluating tax incentives. That is, having a mechanism in place to take a closer look at the state-specific incentives and exemptions on a regular basis, and to evaluate if they’re doing what they were intended to do. In most cases, t

Q&A: Who Gets Idaho's Tax Breaks? Why Details Are In The Dark

Emilie Ritter Saunders and Scott Graf — Fri, 04 May 2012 13:30:00 +0000

StateImpact Idaho has rolled out a series of stories this week on tax incentive transparency in Idaho. That is, what is and isn’t public information when it comes to business tax credits and exemptions.

Almost always, tax incentives are created in the name of economic development. But in Idaho, little information is available about whether these incentives create jobs and grow companies.

Open Government Advocate: Tax Incentive Details Should Be Public Info

Emilie Ritter Saunders — Thu, 03 May 2012 19:10:08 +0000

Good Jobs First is a non-partisan, non-profit government transparency advocacy group based in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1998 by Greg LeRoy, who is now executive director. LeRoy has been studying tax incentive transparency for more than two decades. We recently spoke with him to learn more about what he considers ‘transparent enough,’ and what states are doing to open incentive information to the public.

Do Business Incentives Create Jobs? Idaho Is One Of 13 States In The Dark

Emilie Ritter Saunders — Wed, 02 May 2012 18:18:09 +0000

The state of Idaho will give up an estimated $845 million this year in the form of tax credits and exemptions. And only a select few at the Idaho Tax Commission know exactly where that money goes.

Study: Idaho 'Trailing Behind' On Measuring Tax Incentive Effectiveness

Emilie Ritter Saunders — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 16:34:28 +0000

A new 55-page report from The Pew Center on the States shows most states don’t really know if business tax incentives are boosting job growth.