A Pew Report on State Incentives

     Alabama and lots of others states offer tax incentives to companies to convince them to build a plant here, or to expand an existing facility. We offer film incentives too, as do many states, and few would argue that we would have the existing huge auto assembly business if incentives had not been used to lure first Mercedes, and then other auto giants to the state. You would think the state would rank among the best in using incentives to lure new business and grow existing business.
     But a new Pew Center on The States report ranks Alabama in the bottom tier, based on how well it decides whether the incentives that have been granted are working, and whether new incentives are worth the lost taxes.
     Pew also gives Alabama poor grades for the data it collects to make those decisions.