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Tax Credits As A Tool Of State Economic Development Policy, Howard J. Wall

Center for Applied Economics

Tax credits come in many forms and serve an array of purposes, although economic development is central to their existence. Although tax credits come in many forms, they all share a basic structure: They are provided to a private entity for a specific project, usually to enhance the entity’s ability to obtain financing. The holder of a tax credit can apply it against his or her tax liabilities according to its redemption value, its redemption date, and other rules governing the credit.

This paper summarizes the findings in the economics literature on the effectiveness of state tax credits in spurring …