The CivicLab is organizing a National TIF Illumination Project.
In 2016 we worked with In These Times to draft a project to look at ALL the TIFs across the USA. It never materialized but we did do a total count of all the TIFs of Illinois for 2015. That took five interns several weeks of research to accomplish!
Unfortunately the 2016 project did not advance but it showed us the need for a national accounting for TIFs. In 2022 the CivicLab is re-focusing on building a table of economic justice and grassroots democracy champions to organize a national coalition to investigate and expose EVERY TIF district in America.
The CivicLab estimates that there are 40,000 TIF districts across thousands of municipalities that remove $40 BILLION in property taxes annually! TIFs are in 49 states so this is a national issue of civil and economic rights.
As we continue to seek resources for a social justice driven National TIF Illumination, here are some comprehensive resources:
