Tax Code Industrial Policy

Millionaire football fans are among the beneficiaries of supposed emergency hurricane tax relief according to an AP report. The only positive aspect of this story is that the special tax breaks deprive politicians of extra money to waste (though they will continue to borrow and waste, so don’t get too excited). Actually, this corrupt form of tax‐​code industrial policy also has another positive attribute – it is an excellent example of why the internal revenue code should be junked and replaced with a simple and fair flat tax:

…federal tax breaks designed to spur rebuilding are flowing hundreds of miles inland to investors who are buying up luxury condos near the University of Alabama’s football stadium. About 10 condominium projects are going up in and around Tuscaloosa, and builders are asking up to $1 million for units with granite countertops, king‐​size bathtubs and ‘Bama decor, including crimson couches and Bear Bryant wall art. …And they intend to take full advantage of the generous tax benefits available to investors under the Gulf Opportunity Zone Act of 2005, or GO Zone, according to Associated Press interviews with buyers and real estate officials. …The GO Zone was drawn to include the Tuscaloosa area even though it is about 200 miles from the coast and got only heavy rain and scattered wind damage from Katrina. …The GO Zone investor tax breaks are credited with contributing to the condo boom in Tuscaloosa.