Some of these stories and studies are NOT totally pessimistic about TIFs, but they all have an underlying theme, there really is little benefit to TIFs if they are NOT used for their original intent, cleaning up blight and providing affordable housing.
Why Tax Increment Financing Often Fails and How Communities Can Do Better (lincolninst.edu)
Dzigbede-MFC-07-15-19.pdf (brookings.edu)
FiscalTIF-20160129.pdf (cberdata.org)
Lester-Tax-Increment-Financing-in-Chicago-Working-Paper-2-12-13-FINAL-rm.pdf (unc.edu)
Improving Tax Increment Financing (TIF) for Economic Development (taxpayersci.org)
(PDF) The death and life of Tax Increment Financing (TIF) (researchgate.net)
Has TIF been successful for economic development in Iowa? | The Gazette
Report: TIFs fall short of economic development promises (illinoispolicy.org)