[Buckeye McFrog]

Quite the opposite, they are opening the floodgates to subsidies.

[bigbob]

A lot of things “should happen” but never will, and this is one of them.

[Tenacious 1]

The article is correct that, big corporations, seeking a site for a big project (factory/headquarters), seldom rank the tax incentives very high in weighting the factors for a location. Here are some of the more important factors normally considered (weighted differently for different industries).

1. Labor Rates
2. Logistics (access & distance to customers and B2B partners)
3.) Available workers (skilled or otherwise)
4.) Business climate and tax structure
5.) Competition
6.) Public Relations (or Marketability)

[tcrlaf]

I have said this before. Amazon will put this in Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky or Nashville. They hit all of the marks, especially costs of living and labor.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks SeekAndFind.

offering tax abatements and other benefits to Amazon is exactly the wrong approach for civic leaders

Abatements for the investment works out for the local gubmints because overall, property values, assessed valuations, and property tax receipts all increase on everything else. There are other drawbacks to rising property values though.

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[GOPJ]

Hey MICHAEL HILTZIK - in 3rd world hellholes the offers would be made ‘under the table’. The United States is a free country and has free cities, states, whatever - they can offer whatever the hell they want to offer.

If they overdo it, they’ll be voted out of office. That’s how it works in free countries.

[Salgak]

So says Los Angeles. . .which is not actually in the running, despite being on the list. . .

[ByteMercenary]

San Antonio TX bailed out on this boondoggle early on. Even our tax and spend city fathers backed away from the astronomical concessions being demanded.

Just up the road in Austin I understand they are still in the hunt and hoping for the best. Of course in liberal Austin, the amount of money the city will lose in the long run is of no concern to their city managers. After all, raising taxes will cover any shortfall. Besides, your money isn’t really your money. It belongs to the gubmint. They are just loaning it to you for a while.