Our February 12 meeting on TIFs made news! Read the story in The Chicago Journal.
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Here are links and resources to help you understand the details about Tax Increment Finance (TIF) districts.
Here is a PowerPoint deck with some basic information on TIFs in Cook County.
The Chicago Reader archive of TIF articles by Ben Joravsky
Cook County Commissioner Mike Quigley’s report on TIF’s “A Tale of Two Cities“
Cook County Clerk’s report on TIF’s
Civic Federation’s research website – they published a report on TIF’s
Neighborhood Capital Budget Group – “Who Pays?”
City of Chicago List of TIF Districts
Interview with Pulitizer-winning New York Times reporter, David Cay Johnston, author of Free Lunch: How The Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves At Government Expense (and Stick you With the Bill).
The Chicago Sun-Times reports that Mayor Daley’s own tax bill is lying to him!
DEBATE
Mayor Daley says “Don’t blame me for high property taxes” in a Feb. 13 letter to the Chicago Tribune.
Ben Joravsky disagrees. In his Feb. 14 column for the Reader, he says “Daley’s budget is a giant scam. ” He explains the impact of the dozens of the TIF districts across the city which pulled in over $500 million in 2006. “Anyone who’s not a shill for the mayor will admit, at least privately, that TIFs raise property taxes.”
2 responses so far ↓
Katharine // February 10, 2008 at 12:19 am |
I’m a community activist who is disgusted with TIF abuse. The Wilson Yard TIF is a perfect example how aldermen and the mayor giggle their way to spending millions of TIF dollars on whatever they please. TIFs, without accountability and community participation have become what Carol Marin so aptly named them, Corporate Welfare.
Anonymous // October 8, 2008 at 8:38 am |
Besides corporate welfare, it’s socioeconomic cleansing to chase out anyone not making $150,000/year or more.
The question is that given suburbs also like to TIF areas with the working class to death, where are the less-than $100,000/year people supposed to live?