In reply to Daniel Choma.

Instead of using tax rebates to spur big development for larger and larger and larger and larger property ownership corporations, maybe we should invest directly into the people.

Maybe we should absord the suburbs who have no real legal reason to exist into city limits so that the tax base of a city is realistic and not surrounded by a rich people donut of tax tax burden avoidance.

Maybe we should tax churches. Not a popular idea. But maybe we should tax churches.

Maybe we should invest in municipal banks.

Maybe we should invest in cooperatively owned public property.

Maybe we could (crazy idea here) tax rich people.

Maybe we should rethink zoning code so we aren't stuck in this big build loop where we HAVE To cater to gigantic real estate developers because they are the only ones with the capital to invest.

There are loooots of other waays to build tax base without giving a free hand out to gigantic developers. I know we probably need to give a few big handouts to developers (because lets be honest they've got us kind of cornered here and hold the cards because they hold the capital) for some necessary housing, but I'm tired of having this conversation about TIFF as if TIFF is the only way to increase the tax revenues of a city.

Is it really that hard to just tax rich people or do we constantly have to bribe rich people to make developments happen that burden poor and middle class people in hopes that it will raise enough left over revenue that we won't have a bankrupt city?