Tax Increment Financing, or TIF, districts are a controversial economic development tool – and there is no concrete evidence they actually work. In fact, a study from professors at the University of Chicago and Lake Forest College showed that Illinois communities with TIF districts “grew substantially slower than non-adopters.” By law, TIFs are intended to promote economic...

A study from professors at the University of Chicago and Lake Forest College showed that Illinois communities with TIF districts “grew substantially slower than non-adopters.”