Evaluating the Low‐Income Housing Tax Credit

Central issues in evaluating the Low‐Income Housing Tax Credit are cost‐effectiveness as the program stands; whether it adds to the supply of affordable housing; whether development costs of tax credit projects are reasonable relative to private, unsubsidized housing development; whether alternative means of achieving the objectives would be more efficient or be better targeted to lower‐income households; and the feasibility of replacing the program with a directly budgeted subsidy. Methodological requirements for the evaluation include developing clear relationships among government costs, transaction costs, investor returns, and net equity provided to a project.