TY - JOUR T1 - Who Gains from Place-Based Tax Incentives? Exploring Apartment Sales Prices in Qualified Opportunity Zones JF - The Journal of Portfolio Management DO - 10.3905/jpm.2021.1.255 SP - jpm.2021.1.255 AU - Edward F. Pierzak Y1 - 2021/05/25 UR - https://pm-research.com/content/early/2021/05/25/jpm.2021.1.255.abstract N2 - Qualified opportunity zones, or o-zones, were established by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. This new place-based community development program encourages the investment of private capital into economically depressed areas through the use of tax incentives. With significant tax-induced demand, a small “investment box,” and a closing (now closed) window of opportunity for full tax benefits, conditions have been ripe for accelerating o-zone property prices. This study examines the policy’s effect on transaction prices for existing market-rate apartment properties located in census tracts that were designated as o-zones. It finds that certain segments of the apartment investment pool located in o-zones experienced significant price increases between 2017 and 2019. With material sales price increases, the benefits related to tax savings, at least in part, have effectively been transferred to the sellers of these properties. This finding acts as a cautionary reminder to taxable investors. While tax benefits are alluring, investment decisions should not rely on tax incentives alone.TOPICS: Real estate, legal/regulatory/public policy, performance measurementKey Findings▪ Qualified opportunity zones, or o-zones, were established by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. This new place-based community development program encourages the investment of private capital into economically depressed areas through the use of tax incentives.▪ With significant tax-induced demand, a small “investment box,” and a closing (now closed) window of opportunity for full tax benefits, conditions have been ripe for accelerating o-zone property prices.▪ This study finds that segments of the apartment pool located in o-zones experienced significant price increases between 2017 and 2019, suggesting that the policy’s tax benefits, at least in part, have effectively been transferred to the sellers of these properties. ER -