The tax plan that is part of the b...

The tax plan that is part of the batch bill recently agreed to on Congress and the White House does not detain much promise for cities and counties. Spurring economic increase was just not that high a priority.

What there was in succession that score was easily thrown away amid the billion-dollar commitments for the reduction in the capital gains rate, the tax credit for working families, estate tax reform and the educational tax credits. They were the headline-makers.

President Clinton's three tax incentives for cities and counties were "small print" kinds of things. The proposals did not contain any flourishing thinking; they simply expand in succession current programs that have been something short of barn-burners.

The three provisions included expanding the number of empowerment climes and enterprise communities (the areas within poor sections of cities and towns that qualify for federal tax incentives); allowing companies that exhibit brownfields ...