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2017 Wis. L. Rev. 179 (2017)
TIF-for-Tax: Upholding TIF's Original Purpose and Maximizing Its Use as a Catalyst for Community Economic Development

handle is hein.journals/wlr2017 and id is 183 raw text is: COMMENT TIF-FOR-TAX: UPHOLDING TIF'S ORIGINAL PURPOSE AND MAXIMIZING ITS USE AS A CATALYST FOR COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BRYON EAGON* With shrinking state aid and growing needs, local governments are constantly searching for ways to increase their tax revenue. One significant policy in the toolbox of local governments in Wisconsin is Tax Increment Financing (TIF). Through TIF, municipalities aim to grow future revenues by attracting private investments in new real estate development. TIF was originally intended to assist communities in addressing urban blight, yet legislative enactments over the past few decades have significantly broadened TIF to make eligible projects that are not in metropolitan or blighted areas, thereby diluting TIF's intended purpose. Past calls for reforming TIF have suggested only small modifications, often advocating for expanding TIF's applicability and use in an even greater number of development projects. However, legislators should instead support comprehensive reforms to this place-based investment instrument that improve clarity and predictability, increase measured objectiveness, and adjust spending restrictions in order to better utilize TIF as a catalyst for equitable Community Economic Development (CED). Through analyzing historic and contemporary uses and misuses of TIF in Wisconsin, as well as its risks and rewards, this Comment proposes specific reforms to realign TIF laws with its original purpose of addressing urban blight and better utilize the tool to attract and finance economic, community, and equitable development. Introduction to Tax Increment Financing ....................180 I. TIF Over Time: The Fundamentals of TIF In Wisconsin ...........186 A. History, Text, and Data ..........................186 B. How TIF Works: Big Picture ............. ........191 II. The Tiff With TIF: What To Change And Why ..... ........195 A. Goal 1: Uphold TIF's Original Purpose to Address Urban Blight .................................198 1. Establish More Specific Conditions Within Each TID Category .......................... ......201 2. Precisely Define Blight .......................207 * J.D. Candidate, University of Wisconsin Law School, 2017; M.A., Relay Graduate School of Education, 2013; B.A., University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2010. Thank you to Professors Lisa T. Alexander and Gretchen Viney, Mike Bare, David N. Farwell, John Kovari, Joe Gromacki, Gary Peterson, Jeff L. Vercauteren, Douglas S. Buck, my parents and brother, and the entire Wisconsin Law Review for their review, feedback, and support. Special thanks to Senior Managing Editors Chelsea Fischer, Christopher Nienhaus, and Hayley Painter.

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