Naifeh supports more taxes? I'm shocked ::chuckles::

Bill, you are a bright fella, but I couldn't disagree with you more regarding tax increment financing (TIF). Take the Signature Tower project, for example. According to the Tennessean article, the property currently is being used as a parking lot and pays $100,000 in property taxes to the county. Parking lots don't require city services, such as public education, police & fire protection, trash pick-up, etc., so this $100,000 is essentially pure profit for Metro. The Signature Tower, however, will be home for 500 new families. Many of these families will have children attending public schools, while every resident (regardless of children) will require police protection, fire protection and trash pick-up. These services cost a lot of money. Additionally, as downtown gains more residents, these citizens will need infrastructure improvements from the city to meet the obvious demands of a growing population. These new residents should be expected to contribute $12,000,000 to these costs through property taxes on their new homes, thus essentially paying for their own needs and not becoming a burden to other Davidson County taxpayers. However, because Mr. Giarratana is given $11,900,000, the difference between the old property tax revenue ($100,000) and the new property tax revenue ($12,000,000), taxpayers in other parts of the county are forced to subsidize residents of Signature Tower and will ultimately see higher property tax rates because of it. Bill, I know you believe in free markets and free enterprise. Let free markets determine winners and losers, don't give taxpayer money away as subsidy to private developers. If Mr. Giarratana's Signature Tower project is economically viable it will prosper and be profitable without the aid of government-granted corporate welfare.