They are when they are intended for a specific purpose. E.g. tax credits for jobs are often given to companies like amazon in exchange for locating their HQ in

They are when they are intended for a specific purpose. E.g. tax credits for jobs are often given to companies like amazon in exchange for locating their HQ in NoVA . If the deal falls apart the credits automatically vanish or reduce proportionally. This tax break was a general reduction in the corporate tax. It applied to every company in America and wasn’t created in exchange for a specific promise. The concept was that we switch our US tax rate to a globally competitive rate, while also getting rid of the incentives for companies to shelter money overseas rather than spend it in the US after being double taxed.