These are orthogonal concerns. > Amazon is uniquely large impact Amazon's impact happens regardless of them offering jobs in your city. If you want to address

These are orthogonal concerns. > Amazon is uniquely large impact Amazon's impact happens regardless of them offering jobs in your city. If you want to address their impact on local business then you the city should work out a local tax on good delivered to the city. Preventing Amazon to bring jobs in a city has zero impact on lost retail jobs! > makes no sense to cut tax deals A city should offer incentive for potential new employers, promise to augment public transport, accelerate the red tape to build their building (maybe the city hires more people temporarily to deal with that extra work?), possibly cut tax for the first few years in exchange of some written commitment. But I agree with you that it has to be financially sound long term, a tax break for ever that ends up being subsidized by the tax payer makes no sense except for somebody looking for re-election.