Friday, August 06, 2004
Gerald Gordon, the top EDPro in Fairfax County, VA has written a good opinion article on why local tax incentives are a slippery slope. Read more.
There's little evidence that tax incentives work at all. (Local taxes represent such a small portion of a company's cost structure, why should they?) Learn more.
More important, local incentives undercut a community's ability to make longer term investments in schools, infrastructure and services. Add to that the problems of equity and risk assessment that Dr. Gordon raises, and you have a the set-up for a policy headache, as Wichita is discovering. Read more about Witchita.
posted by Ed Morrison |
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Some Background on EDPro Weblog
The purpose of this weblog is to help economic development professionals -- EDPros -- keep up with the changes sweeping our profession. Strap on your goggles. It's a whole new game. There are no experts any more. The only place to learn about economic development is from other EDPros who are doing it.
One other point: the prevaling approach (paradigm, if you like) in economic development is shifting from competition to collaboration. There are a lot of reaasons underlying this shift, but here's the important insight: You, your community, and your region will do better by collaborating and sharing information.
If you are using a news reader, here is the link to syndicate this site:
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Speaking and workshops on Open Source Economic Development
As the idea of Open Source Economic Development starts spreading, more people are asking about it. Visit the I-Open web site to learn more. My colleagues and I are happy to explain the basic concepts in a talk or a workshop. E-mail Susan Alshuler if you'd like to learn more about workshops and speaking.
Background on Ed Morrison
Download some background information on me here.
Local incentives? Just say, "No"
