Upjohn Author ORCID Identifier
Series
Upjohn Institute Working Paper No. 10-164
DOI
10.17848/wp10-164
Issue Date
April 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.
Subject Areas
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT; Regional policy and planning; Business and tax incentives; Michigan studies
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Citation
Bartik, Timothy J. and George Erickcek. 2010. "The Employment and Fiscal Effects of Michigan's MEGA Tax Credit Program." Upjohn Institute Working Paper No. 10-164. Kalamazoo, MI: W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. https://doi.org/10.17848/wp10-164