If you’ve been paying any attention, you probably know that Amazon is planning to build a second corporate headquarters.
Amazon is the company started by Jeff Bezos, who in 1994 developed the “Amazon Loophole” which allowed the corporation to avoid collecting local and state sales taxes. In the meantime, brick and mortar stores which did collect the taxes were driven out of business and state and local governments were out millions in sales and property tax.
Now Bezos, one of the richest men on the planet, has started a bidding war by cities trying to lure the company into building its headquarters in their location. Please, Mr. Bezos, please.
Here is how this works, according to Jim Hightower, publisher of the “Hightower Lowdown.” New York gave a $258-million subsidy to Yahoo and got 125 jobs, costing taxpayers $2 million per job. North Carolina gave Apple $321 million and got 50 jobs, which is $6.4 million per job. There are many other examples, including the recent one by Gov. Scott Walker giving the store away to Foxcomm.
On the other hand, the mayor of San Jose wrote in an op-ed column that San Jose wouldn’t offer special incentives to any giant corporation, “Because they are a bad deal for taxpayers.” The mayor of San Antonio also wrote to Bezos that “giving away the farm isn’t our style.” Too bad other mayors and governors have not figured that out.
In case you are wondering, I have never bought anything from Amazon. It is so much fun being a Luddite.
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