> That tax was a cost for the property owner. If the tax revenue goes away then there is a cost for no one.

Wrong. The tax revenue "doesn't go away", it's shifted to the other taxpayers who foot the bill for those who don't pay. That's why tax-breaks are recognized as subsidies by everyone who knows something about the topic.

Taxes are calculated individually and are independent of one another. They do not get shared among the tax base. Other people paying property tax do not have to pay the property tax for the data center's land.

As a thought experiment let's say I am in a state with a sales tax. If I buy a game console from a different state that doesn't have sales tax it doesn't cost the tax payers of the state I'm in anything yet we enter a reality where I am happier than in an alternate reality where I did not buy it. The taxes paid are the same in both sceneries, but there is more happiness in society in one sceneries.

So if I don't develop my land (because the government won't let me do so affordably, lol) and pay $0ish that's better than if some big moneyed interests that can pay their way through the regulatory spaghetti you've concocted and develop something, anything there? Even if they pay no tax on the land development there's still taxable activity going on there. Someone is paying tax on the toilet paper in the employee bathroom and whatnot. And of course the actual productivity gets taxed too (investment income, capital gains or whatever) or the income of the accountant you hire to prevent that stuff from getting taxed gets taxed. In any case it's still very net positive.

IDK if you've ever driven through Kentucky but it's the kind of state that isn't exactly lacking for places to put odious industry.

Why do you even care about some town in Kentucky's tax receipts anyway? Lord knows they'll probably use it on abstinence only sex ed.