Empirical Evidence Regarding El Paso Property Tax Abatements: 1988-2001

Property tax abatements are commonly used by municipal governments as incentives for heightened levels of business investment in their respective communities. Widespread statistical evidence questions the efficacy of such policies. However, many of the studies to date rely on data samples that may not adequately account for the time dependent natures of cumulative abatement effects. A 13-year sample for El Paso, Texas is examined for evidence of beneficial effects of the city abatement program on the local market. Similar to other metropolitan areas throughout the United States, statistical results indicate that the El Paso economy has not benefited from the implementation of property tax abatements.