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Just want to add the opinion to the comments section that I think it's completely ridiculous that Amazon gets incentives from cities to go there, as if they nee

Just want to add the opinion to the comments section that I think it's completely ridiculous that Amazon gets incentives from cities to go there, as if they need the money. This is monopolistic behavior to the detriment of cities, citizens, and smaller firms.

LostInTheWoods2 9y ago
There is nothing wrong with Amazon getting an incentive. The question is are these cities doing their math and offering incentives that are both competitive and reasonable, that won't leave their citizens out to hang.
berbec 9y ago
Tell that to major sports teams. Want to see real hostage taking? See what happens when a team wants a new stadium.
- perkee 9y ago
  There is a fantastic pair of episodes of Citations Needed on exactly this topic. They cover the Olympics, HQ2, and sports stadiums. And you're right: city after city gives the whole farm away for these big ticket things that never really pay out, and cities can't deficit spend the way a country can to eat the loss. CN 19 https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/citations-needed/e/52555894 https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/citations-needed/e/52555894 CN 20 https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/citations-needed/e/52636015 https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/citations-needed/e/52636015
pythonaut_16 9y ago
Honestly I think Amazon is as or more interested in the cities' overall plans than just tax incentives being offered. There's a lot of logistics to build a campus as large as they're planning with as many employees as they're planning. I think they're also very interested in zoning and regulatory hurdles. They're probably looking for a city that won't bog the project down in zoning permits, etc. Kinda like how Google Fiber was killed by regulation rather than capital or technical concerns. The tax incentives play into the overall cost to Amazon for their location, but so does the rest of the plan.
jimmywanger 9y ago
That's sort of like saying because you're rich, you shouldn't haggle over the prices of stuff. How do you think Amazon got all that money? If cities are willing to cut them breaks for them to open up a headquarters there, of course they're going to squeeze the cities.

LostInTheWoods2 9y ago

There is nothing wrong with Amazon getting an incentive. The question is are these cities doing their math and offering incentives that are both competitive and reasonable, that won't leave their citizens out to hang.

berbec 9y ago

Tell that to major sports teams. Want to see real hostage taking? See what happens when a team wants a new stadium.

perkee 9y ago
There is a fantastic pair of episodes of Citations Needed on exactly this topic. They cover the Olympics, HQ2, and sports stadiums. And you're right: city after city gives the whole farm away for these big ticket things that never really pay out, and cities can't deficit spend the way a country can to eat the loss. CN 19 https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/citations-needed/e/52555894 https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/citations-needed/e/52555894 CN 20 https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/citations-needed/e/52636015 https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/citations-needed/e/52636015

pythonaut_16 9y ago

Honestly I think Amazon is as or more interested in the cities' overall plans than just tax incentives being offered. There's a lot of logistics to build a campus as large as they're planning with as many employees as they're planning. I think they're also very interested in zoning and regulatory hurdles. They're probably looking for a city that won't bog the project down in zoning permits, etc. Kinda like how Google Fiber was killed by regulation rather than capital or technical concerns. The tax incentives play into the overall cost to Amazon for their location, but so does the rest of the plan.

jimmywanger 9y ago

That's sort of like saying because you're rich, you shouldn't haggle over the prices of stuff. How do you think Amazon got all that money? If cities are willing to cut them breaks for them to open up a headquarters there, of course they're going to squeeze the cities.