Incentives

There are a number of incentives available to potential and current businesses located in Starke County.

Local and County Incentives

Starke County and its municipalities offer assistance to new companies through required infrastructure improvements and tax phase-in. The infrastructure assistance is determined on a case-by-case basis. Tax phase-in (tax abatement) is reviewed by the governmental unit in which the project is to be located. If approval is granted, it can be for up to ten (10) years for both real and personal property and there are annual reporting documents that must be filed.

For information about eligibility and the tax phase-in process, refer to the Tax Abatement & Criteria memorandum.

State Incentives

The State of Indiana offers incentives ranging from grants and tax credits to workforce training.

Grants

• Industrial Development Grant Fund – The Industrial Grant Fund (IDGF) provides assistance to municipalities and other eligible entities as defined under I.C. 5-28-25-1 with off-site infrastructure improvements needed to serve the proposed project site. Upon review and approval of the Local Recipient’s application, project specific Milestones are established for completing the improvements. IDGF will reimburse a portion of the actual total cost of the infrastructure improvements. The assistance will be paid as each Milestone is achieved, with final payment upon completion of the last Milestone of the infrastructure project.
• Tax-Exempt Bonds - The Indiana Finance Authority (IFA) is authorized to issue tax-exempt bonds, which lower the cost of financing for manufacturing projects, health care facilities, private institutions of higher education and certain other qualified projects. In order to qualify for tax-exempt financing, an applicant that is not a 501©(3) must first be awarded "Volume Cap." Indiana is allotted annually a specific amount of Volume Cap that may be awarded to qualified applicants for the purpose of issuing tax-exempt bonds.
  Tax-exempt bonds are often structured similarly to a term loan or mortgage, and the interest rates vary based on the company's financial situation, credit enhancements, method of sale of bonds and the current market. 
• Loan Guaranty Program – IEDC can provide a loan guaranty to a lender for the benefit of a high-growth/high-skilled company, manufacturer, rural development project, value-added agricultural enterprise or another type of business that creates or retains a significant number of Hoosier jobs.
• Capital Access Program - a small business credit enhancement program that creates a specific cash reserve fund for the lender to use as additional collateral for loans enrolled in the Program. CAP allows lenders to consider making slightly riskier loans that might not meet conventional lending requirements.

Tax Credits

• Economic Development for a Growing Economy Tax Credit (EDGE) - The Economic Development for a Growing Economy (EDGE) Tax Credit provides an incentive to businesses to support jobs creation, capital investment and to improve the standard of living for Indiana residents. The refundable corporate income tax credit is calculated as a percentage (not to exceed 100%) of the expected increased tax withholdings generated from new jobs creation. The credit certification is phased in annually for up to 10 years based upon the employment ramp-up outlined by the business.
• Headquarters Relocation Tax Credit – The Headquarters Relocation Tax Credit (HRTC) provides a tax credit to corporations that relocate their headquarters to Indiana. The credit is assessed against the corporation’s state tax liability. The Headquarters Relocation Tax Credit is established by I.C. 6-3.1-30. The Small Headquarters Relocation Tax Credit (S-HQRTC) provides a refundable tax credit to a small, high-growth business that relocates its headquarters or the number of employees that equals 80% of the company’s total payroll to Indiana. The credit is assessed against the corporation’s state tax liability. The S-HQRTC is established by Indiana Code § 6-3.1-30.
• Hoosier Business Investment Tax Credit (HBITC) - The Hoosier Business Investment (HBI) Tax Credit provides incentive to businesses to support job creation, capital investment and to improve the standard of living for Indiana residents. The non-refundable corporate income tax credits are calculated as a percentage of the eligible capital investment to support the project. The credit may be certified annually, based on the phase-in of eligible capital investment, over a period of two full calendar years from the commencement of the project.
• Redevelopment Tax Credit - The Redevelopment Tax Credit (RTC) provides an incentive for investment in the redevelopment of vacant land and buildings as well as brownfields. This credit, established by Indiana Code § 6-3.1-34, provides companies and developers an assignable income tax credit for investing in the redevelopment of communities, improving quality of place and building capacity at the local level. The IEDC may not award more than $50 million in credits each state fiscal year. Any credit award over $7 million must include a requirement that a portion of the credit be repaid by the company or developer.  
• Venture Capital Investment Tax Credit - Indiana Code 6-3.1-24 sets the maximum annual amount of tax credits that may be awarded at twelve million five hundred thousand dollars ($12,500,000).
  The Venture Capital Investment Tax Credit program improves access to capital for fast growing Indiana companies by providing individual and corporate investors an additional incentive to invest in early stage firms. Investors who provide qualified debt or equity capital to Indiana companies receive a credit against their Indiana tax liability. The Venture Capital Investment Tax Credit is established by I.C. 6-3.1-24.

Workforce Training

• Skills Enhancement Fund (SEF) - The Skills Enhancement Fund (SEF) provides assistance to businesses to support training and upgrading skills of employees required to support new capital investment. The grant may be provided to reimburse a portion (typically 50%) of eligible training costs over a period of two full calendar years from the commencement of the project. Grants from the Skills Enhancement Fund must lead to post-secondary credentials, a nationally-recognized industry credential, or specialized company training for both new hires and existing workers, and an increase in wages for existing employees.

Tax Abatement Information

The Starke County Economic Development Foundation is determined not only to retain the businesses that currently reside in Starke County, but to also help their growth initiatives thrive. Our role might range from complex, like helping with a building addition, to simple, like providing the forms companies are required to file when they either have been granted or desire to apply for tax abatement for the County, as well as the three communities within the County.

Wherever your business is located in Starke County, the Foundation wants to assist you in any way possible to maximize the potential of your opportunities here. For more information on tax abatements available in Starke County, please contact us.

Tax Abatement Policy

Starke County and each local Unit of Government (the City of Knox, and the Towns of North Judson and Hamlet) have adopted an identical policy on the issuance of tax abatement. Visit our Document Center to download a copy of this comprehensive policy.