The South Bend Department of Community Investment has streamlined the city's tax abatement form.
The document, which previously consisted of 17 pages, is now just four pages long.
"We want to encourage investment in our community," Scott Ford, the department's executive director, said in a statement. "This more efficient form will save time and resources for both the applicants and the city staff who administer the process, and will send a strong message of support for local businesses."
The new form does not change the law or policy on tax abatements, but it should make the process easier to navigate for potential investors. The city offers tax abatements to businesses for new construction, expansions and renovations as well as for acquisition and installation of new equipment.
"South Bend is open for business, and one of the best ways to show that is to cut down on red tape," Mayor Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. "I appreciate the work of our business support team in making this process easier to navigate for employers ready to expand or relocate here and create more jobs in South Bend."
http://www.southbendtribune.com/news/business/article_dd4d5f54-4862-11e3-b82c-0019bb30f31a.html
