News
News

Plentiful tax breaks fuel business growth in metro Atlanta — at a cost

A Mercedes-Benz sedan drives past the Mercedes-Benz USA corporate office building in Sandy Springs on March 13, 2017. Mercedes-Benz is one of the many large companies that benefits from multi-million-dollar government incentives. (HENRY TAYLOR / HENRY.TAYLOR@AJC.COM)

Credit: Henry P. Taylor

Credit: Henry P. Taylor

A Mercedes-Benz sedan drives past the Mercedes-Benz USA corporate office building in Sandy Springs on March 13, 2017. Mercedes-Benz is one of the many large companies that benefits from multi-million-dollar government incentives. (HENRY TAYLOR / HENRY.TAYLOR@AJC.COM)
By
April 1, 2017

Unelected agencies are giving big tax breaks to recruit businesses to metro Atlanta, a system that promotes development by relying on public financial support.

The cost of these tax deals often isn’t clear. State and local governments don’t track the overall number of deals made or the total value of tax benefits.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution found that about $500 million in property tax breaks have been awarded to businesses in DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnett and Cobb counties and the city of Atlanta over the last three years.

Critics  question whether these incentives, distributed by local agencies known as development authorities, are transparent, fair and accountable.

Please read more about how businesses benefit from generous public financial support on MyAJC.com.

About the Author

Mark Niesse covers Georgia government for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is considered an expert on elections and voting. Before joining the AJC, he worked for The Associated Press in Atlanta, Honolulu and Montgomery, Alabama. He also reported for The Daily Report and The Santiago Times in Chile.

Follow Mark Niesse on twitter
More Stories

Keep Reading

An aerial image shows part of John A. White Park taken on Wednesday, July 4, 2025, where the City of Atlanta plans to build new trails as part of the citywide Trails ATL plan. (Miguel Martinez/ AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

Atlanta leaders eye trails as part of solution to city’s traffic woes

The 535-mile expansion plan, known as Trails ATL, aims to make the city more walkable, bringing 10-minute access to trails for 95% of city residents by 2052.

Outlawz rapper Young Noble found dead in Atlanta at age 47

Young Noble, a former member of the Outlawz rap group founded in the 1990s by Tupac Shakur, has died by apparent suicide at the age of 47, according to reports.

Outkast co-founder Big Boi says uncle was victim in June shooting death

Outkast co-founder Antwan “Big Boi” Patton says his uncle was a victim in Atlanta shooting death. Remoin Thomas Patton was killed June 16 after a driver altercation.

The Latest

The Peachtree community showed up in full force on Friday.

Credit: AJC

AJC Peachtree Road Race updates: You did it!

Atlanta leaders eye trails as part of solution to city’s traffic woes

Outlawz rapper Young Noble found dead in Atlanta at age 47

Featured

UPS driver Dan Partyka delivers an overnight package. As more people buy more goods online, the rapid and unrelenting expansion of e-commerce is causing real challenges for the Sandy-Springs based company. (Bob Andres/AJC 2022)

Credit: TNS

Amid UPS struggles, shipper makes first-ever plans to offer buyouts to drivers

UPS said in a written statement it is navigating “an unprecedented business landscape.”

Kneeling man impaled by giant straw? Towering mural leaves public mystified.

A towering mural on the side of the Connally Hotel has mystified Atlanta since 2011. Who is the kneeling man, and what's piercing him? Is it a beam of light? A drinking straw?

OPINION

I just graduated college. Will I be able to buy a house like my parents did?

A recent college grad asks: Am I going to be able to buy a home like my parents did less than 30 years ago?