It's no secret that Detroit is a city in decline. It is a city that tied it's economic future to a single industry and systematically poisoned the atmosphere to other businesses, discouraging new investment and driving out many existing ones.
The blame for this lies largely with a government mired in corruption, beholden to automotive union special interests. It also lies with the populace that kept electing such people. All that aside, though, what's important here is the outcome.
What happens when a government does all it can to discourage business? Well, business stops coming to that place and some existing businesses go away. This results in lost revenue, as taxation on business is a big part of the tax base. This is where the attitude toward business and its purpose shows. Because, rather than look for ways to entice business back (incentives, tax breaks, lower tax rates), taxes are raised as the municipality tries to squeeze the last drop of blood out of the stone before it crumbles. Businesses aren't looked at as partners in making a community thrive, they're looked at as ATMs for social engineering (and all too often, graft).
Detroit is an abject lesson in the high-tax, business-averse form of government. This blog has the pictures to prove it. Detroit is dying and until it changes how it looks at business and taxation, nothing can save it.
H/T: RTftLC
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