CR Challengers 13

If the city continues to grant tax abatements to developers of upper-income housing, more funds will be made available for the building of low- and middle-income housing projects by the city. The experience of other municipalities has shown that when upper-income housing is created, the addition to the city tax rolls of the residents of such housing leads to a substantial increase in income tax receipts for the city. The newly generated revenues can then be put towards the construction of new low- and middle-income housing projects.
Which one of the following statements, if true, would most seriously weaken the argument above?
a.The residents who occupy the newly constructed upper-income housing developments are already city tax payers.
b.There is too little upper-income housing in the city to meet the needs of the city’s current upper-income citizens.
c. The residents of the city’s low- and middle-income housing projects contribute relatively little to the city’s tax revenue.
d.The idea of constructing new low- and middle-income housing is not consistent with the city’s stated objective of “gentrifying” its poorer neighborhoods.
e. Upper-income citizens of the city may demand a change in the city’s tax codes if they realize how dependent the city is on them for its ability to build new housing projects.