Imagine working endlessly in Fort Worth, keeping up with rising property appraisals and paying your local taxes on time, only to watch city officials hand tens of millions of dollars in tax breaks to a mega-corporation. While working families face steep property tax bills to support municipal operations, local politicians continue to pick favored corporate winners and leave resident taxpayers to bear the financial burden.
On October 27, 2026, the Fort Worth City Council officially voted following a public hearing to enact a municipal ordinance designating Tax Abatement Reinvestment Zone No. 122. Under this new designation, city leaders approved a 10-year, 65 percent property tax abatement agreement for A-Turn Z Semiconductor Testing Corporation, a Texas subsidiary of Taiwan-based KYEC. The lucrative deal grants up to $50 million in local tax reductions across a 200-acre project site located at 273 West Everman Parkway, pushing forward despite strong objections from local residents concerned about heavy utility burdens and environmental impacts.
This carve-out represents classic corporate welfare that distorts free market competition. When local governments grant selective tax relief to well-connected multinational corporations, they create an uneven playing field for existing small business owners who must pay full tax rates. By carving out special tax havens through reinvestment zones, Fort Worth officials effectively subsidize corporate expansion at the direct expense of everyday citizens and local entrepreneurs who receive no such government relief.
Policy research highlights how targeted tax abatements and central planning tools undermine broader economic liberty. As documented by the Reason Foundation's Analysis on Land-Use Policy, predictable, rule-of-law environments and neutral tax framework rather than selective municipal subsidies drive real, sustainable economic vitality. Furthermore, research from the Institute for Justice on Municipal Revenue Practices shows how municipal reliance on carved-out corporate incentives frequently leads cities to shift fiscal burdens onto residents through higher fees and un-abated property assessments.