Are Corporate Tax Breaks Worth It?

Ohio just gave tax breaks of $82 million for GM in Lordstown, $68 million for Bridgestone in Akron and $1.7 million for Ford in Lima. It's nice to keep industry around, but is the state getting its money's worth? On The Sound of Ideas®, we take a look at the economics of the corporate tax breaks that have become standard practice in economic development. We'll find out how much they influence corporate decision-making, what other factors count and just how much bang we're getting for our tax break buck.
Robert Chirinko, professor in the Finance Department at the University of Illinois at Chicagoand a research fellow at the Center For Economic Studies (Munich).
Ron Kitchens, chief executive officer of Southwest Michigan First
William Wells, President, Sales and Marketing, ViewRay Incorporated