Transparency, accountability and market-based reform of state & local economic development programs across America. Pay for your own damn stadium.
Joined June 2018
- Tweets2.6K
- Following528
- Followers1.8K
- Likes267
Pinned Tweet
Your state government’s economic development strategy relies on the argument that politicians, bureaucrats and lobbyists are getting together behind closed doors to decide which corporations get millions or even billions of tax dollars, but they’re doing that for YOUR benefit.
Center for Economic Accountability retweeted
Arkansas’ proposed economic development amendment would give unelected boards broad powers over taxes and taxpayer dollars. @johnmoz explains why expanding corporate subsidies would put Arkansas taxpayers at risk.
buff.ly/DQ6MlF9
Center for Economic Accountability retweeted
A proposed economic development constitutional amendment in Arkansas has a number of fundamental flaws that create very serious risks for taxpayers and communities. My analysis for @ReasonFdn:
reason.org/commentary/arkans…
It’s October, the month of both baseball playoffs and “spooky season,” which makes it the perfect time to remind everyone that subsidized @MLB team stadiums are only open for business about as many days a year as your average pop-up @SpiritHalloween store. 🎃⚾️🏟️👻💰
Center for Economic Accountability retweeted
Anyone who advocates giving $850 million in taxpayer money to a billionaire for the purpose of building an new stadium lacks the moral high ground to comment on "fair share" tax initiatives.
Center for Economic Accountability retweeted
Everyone in Cook County will have to pay more in property taxes so a corporation will get a subsidy.
It’s whack-a-mole economics. Lower the taxes for one business, raise them on residents and other businesses. Never acknowledge the real problem a government spending.
We need a property tax cap.
Efforts to transform long vacant land along the north branch of the Chicago River between Bucktown and Lincoln Park into a new neighborhood advanced Tuesday with a vote to use $201.6 million from the area’s TIF districts to subsidize the project.
to.wttw.com/4y6F5PC
Center for Economic Accountability retweeted
If 20 years of public investment in downtown is as successful and transformative as supporters claim, why does downtown still require subsidies?
Either it's working or it isn't, it can't be both. – at Kansas City, MO
Ladies and gentlemen, here is a @MO_Independent piece even @RGreggKeller will like:
missouriindependent.com/2026…
Center for Economic Accountability retweeted
Or, hear me out, we could simply STOP DOING DUMB CORPORATE WELFARE DEALS even for non-criminals.
Center for Economic Accountability retweeted
"They came to the desert, a land of milk and money, a land of milk and government subsidizing."
@AccountableEcon
nevadacurrent.com/2026/09/03…
Center for Economic Accountability retweeted
If data centers (or any other business) receive public support, then the public should have as much access to the details of the deal as any Wall Street firm, hedge fund, venture capitalist or other ‘investor.’
Unlike other tax breaks, tech giants can shroud special Michigan data center tax incentives in secrecy
New reporting from @DNBethLeBlanc on a little-known provision in a state law written by Democrats that will keep the true cost of data center tax breaks a state secret.
detroitnews.com/story/news/p…
Center for Economic Accountability retweeted
"(Corporate welfare programs) are more correctly assessed using the tools of political science than of economics. When you do that, they all start making sense. They make no economic sense because they're not economic tools, they're political tools."
- @johnmoz
Center for Economic Accountability retweeted
In Lansing today to testify to @truestevecarra’s House Oversight subcommittee on the intersection of energy policy, economic development policy and electric utility lobbying in Michigan.
Michigan’s Attorney General has reached her limit with the state’s economic development corruption issues.
Center for Economic Accountability retweeted
And the funding mechanism approved for $510 million of it is only defined as “legally available sources,” which is LITERALLY the least the KC City Council can do in terms of fiscal planning.
It's entirely possible that Kansas City will approve its $1B+ share of an overall $1.5B+ Royals stadium subsidy just three days after the proposal was released, which would be in the running for shortest public discussion period ever for a stadium deal. fieldofschemes.com/2026/08/1…
Great to have @Richard_Florida confirm what we've said for years: “Everyone knows incentives are costly, wasteful, and ineffective — everyone knows the game is rigged — and yet they continue to escalate, with bidding wars between cities and states growing ever larger over time.”
My latest on "The Paradox of Economic Development" in a special issue of Economic Development Quarterly editted by @TimBartik: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.…
Of course, Dr. Florida has been a vocal critic of economic development subsidy programs for years. Back in 2012, he and his team demonstrated the simple fact that states that hand out lots of incentives don't end up any better off than states that don't. bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
CEA Research Fellow Wes Davenport and his co-author Ankith Reddy take on the terrible “economic impact” claims that fuel subsidies for the World Cup and other sports mega-events in @GOVERNING today.
Fellow economist Ankith Reddy & I penned an article exploring the false promises of mega events like the World Cup or the Super Bowl! This was a fun one to write, & we hope it's just as fun for you to read!
governing.com/finance/the-wo…
@AccountableEcon @GOVERNING
A new peer-reviewed study from @RussellSobel, @_WagnerG_ & Peter Calcagno finds new employment growth after states hand out "extraordinarily large" business subsidies...but it's new hiring by lobbying firms in state capitals. doi.org/10.1007/s11187-026-0…
Center for Economic Accountability retweeted
I wonder how many Oracle/Cerner employees are left in #KansasCity after state and local leaders dumped truckloads of public money on the company to, y'know, create jobs. – at Kansas City, MO
Today is the 21st anniversary of the Supreme Court's ruling that the existence of a local government's economic development plan turned what would otherwise be an unconstitutional taking into a "public use."
We now know just how useless those plans are. economicaccountability.org/2…