I have talked about how many incentives are out of alignment with our economic development goals. Specifically, several incentives address property taxes and support real estate investments while the knowledge economy business we are trying to grow and attract are talent intensive and often lease space, Encouragingly, we are starting to see some progress on shifting the incentives landscape. One, Rock Hill City Council approved a Business License Fee incentive which assists job creation with higher wages. Two, SC Department of Commerce has adjusted its policy so as to provide Job Development Credits for lease and/or leasehold improvement costs associated with new, higher wage job creation. While both of these items serve only larger businesses, these are steps in the right direction.
