Business Column: Those pesky tax incentives

Darned if you do, or darned if you don’t!

That’s the dilemma elected officials face in determining whether to offer tax incentives for companies to locate in their city, county or state. That conflict played out recently with Amazon’s decision to cancel its second headquarters (HQ2) in New York City.

On the surface, it seems like a no-brainer. The city and state would extend $3 billion in tax relief to Amazon in exchange for $27 billion in new taxes and 25,000 good-paying jobs. However, the incentives generated heated opposition.

While government officials salivate over billion-dollar investme...