Most businesses choose their locations based primarily on workforce, access to transportation, quality of life, business environment, and other assets, giving much less weight to tax incentives.{{Daphne A. Kenyon, Adam H. Langley, and Bethany P. Paquin, “Rethinking Property Tax Incentives for Business,” Policy Focus Reports (Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, 2012), https://www.lincolninst.edu/publications/policy-focus-reports/rethinking-property-tax-incentives-business.}} In light of limited public funds, state and local jurisdictions should provide incentives only when a business relocation or retention would substantively advance local and regional goals related to quality of life and economic development. As CMAP research has shown, best practices exist for how, where, and when to apply incentives for maximum public benefit.{{Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, ”Reorienting State and Regional Economic Development: Lessons Learned from National Examples,” January 2014, https://cmap.illinois.gov/wp-content/uploads/FY14-0061-Economic-Development-Report-1.pdf}} ON TO 2050 recommends the targeted use of incentives for developments that support regional economic goals, such as increasing employment in traded clusters, reinvesting in infill sites, or encouraging mixed-use development near public transit. Action 1 Establish criteria to ensure that economic development incentives fit with local and regional economic goals. The policies should maximize broad benefits and minimize the use of incentives that are only for fiscal gain to the community. Implementers Local governments Action 2 Provide best practices and model economic development policies for communities. Implementers CMAP and partners, such as ULI and MPC Action 3 Proactively establish economic development agreements with neighboring communities to reduce intraregional competition via incentives, and reduce public costs. Implementers Local governments Action 4 Enhance information on tax credits and incentives at all levels of government by providing data on these programs annually and frequently evaluating the expenditures and outcomes of incentive programs such as sales tax rebates, Economic Development for a Growing Economy, Tax Increment Financing, property tax abatements, Enterprise Zones, and others. Implementers State of Illinois and local governments Action 5 Incorporate regional priorities into strategic economic development planning and provide only assistance or incentives that align with those plans. Implementers State of Illinois