The Employment and Fiscal Effects of Michigan's Mega Tax Credit Program

Upjohn Institute Working Paper No. 10-164

38 Pages Posted: 10 Apr 2010 Last revised: 17 Apr 2010

See all articles by Timothy Bartik

Timothy Bartik

W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research

George A. Erickcek

W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research

Date Written: April 1, 2010

Abstract

This paper estimates that Michigan's MEGA tax credit program to attract and retain businesses has large employment and fiscal benefits. MEGA provides discretionary tax credits to businesses, with the tax credit tied to the personal income taxes paid by employees on the new or retained jobs. We estimate the economic effects of MEGA using the Upjohn Institute's REMI model, and the research literature on how business location decisions respond to taxes. We estimate the fiscal effects of MEGA based on the research literature on how government spending and revenue respond to state personal income and population. The estimates suggest a lower bound to MEGA's effectiveness of being decisive in a little over 8 percent of the MEGA projects. Even with this modest success rate, MEGA is estimated to have fiscal benefits that offset about two-thirds of its gross fiscal costs. The net fiscal costs per job created of MEGA average less than $4,000 per job-year, which is less than the labor market benefits of job creation.

Keywords: State and local economic development policy, tax incentives, fiscal impact analysis, labor market benefits, regional multipliers

JEL Classification: R11, R23, R28, R30, R58, H70

Suggested Citation

Bartik, Timothy and Erickcek, George A., The Employment and Fiscal Effects of Michigan's Mega Tax Credit Program (April 1, 2010). Upjohn Institute Working Paper No. 10-164, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1586356 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1586356

Timothy Bartik (Contact Author)

W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research ( email )

300 South Westnedge Avenue
Kalamazoo, MI 49007-4686
United States

George A. Erickcek

W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research ( email )

300 South Westnedge Avenue
Kalamazoo, MI 49007-4686
United States

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