CHANGING VIEW.

• Position: NC ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

North Carolina is making lots of incentive promises to attract companies, reflecting a revised approach that has changed significantly over the last decade.

North Carolina's 2018 SCOREBOARD

157 new projects or expansions that engaged state economic developers

19,729 new jobs announced by Gov. Roy Cooper

$3.54 billion projected investment of new projects

69% projects choosing rural or distressed counties

Those results follow years of discussion over the use of state incentives.

A 2009 study by an N.C. legislative committee criticized how the state had provided subsidies. It recommended broad tax cuts based on these findings:

> Tax credits' outcomes were contrary to N.C. goals.

> Tax reduction is a better strategy.

> Incentives had a regional, but not statewide impact.

> Incentives mostly benefited wealthy areas.

Recommendations from the 2009 committee:

> Eliminate most tax credits.

> Reduce corporate tax rate.

> Address systemic economic-policy factors.

> Institute legislative oversight.

> Expand the Job Development Incentive Grant and One North Carolina programs.

In 2016, Republican lawmakers created another committee to study the state's economic-development plan. It offered these sobering comments:

Between 2007-15:

> I he state took part in b/b incentive awards.

> The state invested $119 million while authorizing $1.3 billion in awards.

> The incentives led to about 28,000 jobs, or 3,000 per year.

> Overall, North Carolina added only 50,000 jobs, or about 1% of the total workforce.

> N.C. per capita income declined from 93% of the national average in 1997 to 86% in...