Date of Award

1982

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Community Planning (MCP)

Department

Community Planning and Area Development

Abstract

Currently, a major policy question and an on-going debate exists concerning the use of industrial revenue bonds. IRBs are financial incentives issued by the government to attract firms to specific locations. The interest on the bond is exempt from federal income taxes, so interest rates on the loans are several points below conventional rates. The federal government has threatened to eliminate IRBs completely, despite the existence of a large coalition of supporters. A crucial policy decision such as this deserves careful scrutiny. The usefulness of bonds cannot be examined exclusively in terms of an overall general framework. Each of the methods that have been applied to the bonds' functioning must be given careful consideration, in order to determine if any useful variations ex ist. One such possibility is the Massachusetts Commercial Area Revitalization District Program (CARD) which utilizes IRBs in a specific way: To target growth into distressed areas of cities and towns.

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