This doesn't seem to be borne out in any research on this question within the past 40 years[0]. Only competent policy-making can decide whether a tax break, of

This doesn't seem to be borne out in any research on this question within the past 40 years[0]. Only competent policy-making can decide whether a tax break, of any sort, will be beneficial to the local economy where it's enacted. Obviously the answer to the question of "do tax breaks generate jobs/stimulate economic development" is very context sensitive; policies that work in San Francisco may be wholly unsuitable for NYC or Topeka, Kansas or what have you. But there is an overall consensus of data as to what generates good outcomes for towns/states and what doesn't in terms of job creation and economic development: - Corporate tax breaks, by and large, do NOT generate more economic development for the cities/states that offer them and produce the smallest gains in job creation than any other option. They do however generate more wealth for that particular company. - Income tax breaks for lower and middle class income earners are more effective at stimulating growth and produce more jobs. - Strong unemployment benefits stimulate the most growth and economic activity and the most job creation by a very long shot. The linked reports provide many citations for the points it makes. It's conclusions also align with everything we've been hearing and seeing for the past 20 years with our own eyes in the USA. I liked the observation made in the report that 3M, based out of Minnesota, saw corporate tax cuts offered to them by competing states wreaked of desperation in their minds, not business opportunity. Very intriguing food for thought. I have to say, chances are low that any other company would see this any differently. Its just that companies such as Amazon thrive on the economic desperation of their workers as evidenced by Amazon's own behavior. On that last bullet point, I'm willing to bet the current "boom" in economic activity is due in large part to the generous unemployment benefits that COVID has forced our government into the past year. The current mobility of many workers I think can be attributed to this, thus stimulating job creation and more competitiveness for companies to make better job offerings. We've seen how companies have behaved in this environment -- lots of layoffs, furloughs and outright job cuts. Mind you, I don't think all companies are evil or some such. Rather, business incentives in the USA are rarely aligned with the economic benefits of the places they ply their trades/services. [0] https://www.thebalance.com/do-tax-cuts-create-jobs-3306325 https://www.thebalance.com/do-tax-cuts-create-jobs-3306325