Download Tax Review: Tax Credits as Instruments for Social or Economic Policy Executive SummaryReviewing the various kinds of tax credits, past and present, Dr. Watters notes that interest in them has been heightened by several developments—including the rise and fall of the Federal investment tax credit. After reviewing the favorable and unfavorable aspects of tax credits, Dr. Watters cautions that tax credits should not be looked on as “potential cures for any big social problem.”