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Amazon to Build Second HQ in North America

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Re: Amazon to Build Second HQ in North America

#111

Post by mudflaps »

I think when all is said and done this will be less about tax credits and more about choosing a city that's easy to work with on core issues like transit, development, and infrastructure. There are only a few cities who can really qualify in terms of having existing talent pools and being an attractive relo destination. This isn't putting an auto plant in bumfk. But working with Seattle's leaders ain't easy for anyone--sure, would be nice to get some tax credits, but ultimately those are just one way a new HQ partner could signal that they're seriously motivated to work well together. We'll see.

Re: Amazon to Build Second HQ in North America

#113

Post by sanderjd »

ceejayoz wrote: post #28
quirkot wrote: post #12

> Why is Amazon choosing its second headquarters location via a public process? Because Foxconn got such an amazing deal and we want to get some of those sweet, sweet tax credits, too

Yup. "Amazon seeks a city to provide cushy tax credits in exchange for vague, unenforceable promises of job creation" would've been a more accurate headline.

I understand (and largely share) the annoyance about these sorts of tax breaks, but as a software developer, it seems obvious that having an Amazon headquarters in my city would result in lots of job opportunities for me - not just at Amazon, but at other software companies that locate nearby over time due to the increased concentration of workers. So I don't understand your skepticism at the "job creation" part.

Re: Amazon to Build Second HQ in North America

#116

Post by wcunning »

jherdman wrote: post #107
kogepathic wrote: post #60

Why not put HQ2 in Vancouver? Okay, yes, house prices are unrealistic, but hear me out: 1. Not in the US (helpful for any non-American employees who can't get a visa or don't want to live in the current political climate in the US) 2. Relatively easy for Americans to work in Canada 3. Close proximity to Seattle 4. Canadian salaries are typically lower than America, so this could be a huge boon to Canadians working in…

I'd imagine a city like Windsor might be better suited. There's tonnes of space for the HQ, it's close to the border, it has relatively easy access to Detroit Metro Airport, and has its own local airport for those flying within Ontario. I'm sure every medium sized Canadian city will be clamouring for this.

Amazon already has a fairly sizeable office in Downtown Detroit, and a huge number of Canadians from Windsor working there. Would it make more sense to expand that?

Re: Amazon to Build Second HQ in North America

#118

Post by wusher »

lallysingh wrote: post #27

Seriously, they should look in New Jersey. Lots of tech talent from NYC that doesn't want the commute or insane prices of the city.

They probably won't. NJ's corperate tax rate is higher than california's. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_tax_in_the_United_St...

Re: Amazon to Build Second HQ in North America

#119

Post by [deleted] »

dajohnson89 wrote: post #63
jpatokal wrote: post #24

The RFP is rather more interesting than the marketing page: https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/Anything... The 2nd criterion is basically the total amount of sweet, sweet taxpayer dollars available to subsidize them: Please provide a summary of total incentives offered for the Project by the state/province and local community. In this summary, please provide a brief description of the incentive item,…

Yeah, shocking huh? This is the only reason this whole thing is being done. It's basically a solicitation, and Amazon will go to the highest bidder. It happens all the time, it's just that this initiative is more public.

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