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Meta to receive $3.3B in tax breaks for its $10B Louisiana data center

fortune.com

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Re: Meta to receive $3.3B in tax breaks for its $10B Louisiana data center

#21

Post by Forgeties79 »

For those who are unaware, construction of this datacenter has so far been an unmitigated disaster for the community and a fantastic example of how few shits companies like Facebook give when it comes to cutting corners vs. spending money to do things more safely. To say they aren’t taking the community into consideration is an understatement.

They averaged 7 crashes a month near the site at the time of this article. The community isn’t even 2000 people. They’d had 1 fatality already by the time this article was written as well.

It’s so dangerous the local school has shut down their playground despite being a mile away. If kids being unable to have a basic outdoor recess isn’t enough to make you care I don’t know what will.

https://lailluminator.com/2025/11/22/meta-data-center-crashe...

Re: Meta to receive $3.3B in tax breaks for its $10B Louisiana data center

#22

Post by aspenmartin »

cyanydeez wrote: post #13
cj wrote: post #9

No one likes to see big companies avoid taxes. But I don't see what other options are available for states to compete with each other if not through tax breaks. Edit: I suppose if you ban tax breaks, if a state wants to be competitive, they still can but through modifying the tax code for everyone instead of giving certain people exceptions. That doesn't seem like a terrible alternative..

compete for graft, kickbacks, energy parasites.

You know I’m sure this is true on some level but if you think this is all or a majority of the motivation I think that sounds pretty conspiratorial.

Re: Meta to receive $3.3B in tax breaks for its $10B Louisiana data center

#23

Post by ReptileMan »

I think that this is one of the cases in which the Fed government should use it interstate commerce clause to prevent the states to compete until rock bottom. The EU has some regulations that forbid state help to private enterprises and they do seem to have some teeth. Nothing wrong with different states having different tax rates, but states should not be allowed to have favorite companies and kill competition.

Re: Meta to receive $3.3B in tax breaks for its $10B Louisiana data center

#24

Post by ceejayoz »

lern_too_spel wrote: post #12
cj wrote: post #9

No one likes to see big companies avoid taxes. But I don't see what other options are available for states to compete with each other if not through tax breaks. Edit: I suppose if you ban tax breaks, if a state wants to be competitive, they still can but through modifying the tax code for everyone instead of giving certain people exceptions. That doesn't seem like a terrible alternative..

Compete for what exactly, in this case?

First to touch the bottom!

Re: Meta to receive $3.3B in tax breaks for its $10B Louisiana data center

#25

Post by ceejayoz »

cj wrote: post #9

No one likes to see big companies avoid taxes. But I don't see what other options are available for states to compete with each other if not through tax breaks. Edit: I suppose if you ban tax breaks, if a state wants to be competitive, they still can but through modifying the tax code for everyone instead of giving certain people exceptions. That doesn't seem like a terrible alternative..

> But I don't see what other options are available for states to compete with each other if not through tax breaks.

Federal ban on tax breaks for companies over a certain market cap?

Why can't they compete on "we have a good regulatory setup" or "we have good schools for your employees" or "we are a nice place to live"? Why compete on "we'll soak or own taxpayers more than the next state over so you can make even more obscene profits"?

Re: Meta to receive $3.3B in tax breaks for its $10B Louisiana data center

#26

Post by ianm218 »

cyanydeez wrote: post #13
cj wrote: post #9

No one likes to see big companies avoid taxes. But I don't see what other options are available for states to compete with each other if not through tax breaks. Edit: I suppose if you ban tax breaks, if a state wants to be competitive, they still can but through modifying the tax code for everyone instead of giving certain people exceptions. That doesn't seem like a terrible alternative..

compete for graft, kickbacks, energy parasites.

Why do you see data centers as "energy parasites"? They are basically the best customers of the grid possible - consistent high usage. This is an opportunity for the US to pursue energy abundance and grow the economy. The only issues these cause is when states make it impossible to deploy more energy.

Anti growth environmentalism is so toxic when we could just be pursuing wide spread clean energy and growth.

Re: Meta to receive $3.3B in tax breaks for its $10B Louisiana data center

#27

Post by aspenmartin »

repelsteeltje wrote: post #3
Protagorist wrote: post #2

So glad to see small companies like this get a leg up.

Seems only fair that we pay our taxes when those are used to subsidize such lofty endeavours.

I think there are plenty of issues with data center construction but there are real economic benefits here. If there weren’t it would be pretty easy for states to thwart them. You would see the leverage switch and companies paying states incentives.

Re: Meta to receive $3.3B in tax breaks for its $10B Louisiana data center

#28

Post by ceejayoz »

ianm218 wrote: post #26
cyanydeez wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

compete for graft, kickbacks, energy parasites.

Why do you see data centers as "energy parasites"? They are basically the best customers of the grid possible - consistent high usage. This is an opportunity for the US to pursue energy abundance and grow the economy. The only issues these cause is when states make it impossible to deploy more energy. Anti growth environmentalism is so toxic when we could just be pursuing wide spread clean energy and growth.

> Why do you see data centers as "energy parasites"?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48123090

> They are basically the best customers of the grid possible - consistent high usage.

The grid exists to serve the populace. It's why we tend to call it a "public utility".

Re: Meta to receive $3.3B in tax breaks for its $10B Louisiana data center

#29

Post by ReptileMan »

cj wrote: post #9

No one likes to see big companies avoid taxes. But I don't see what other options are available for states to compete with each other if not through tax breaks. Edit: I suppose if you ban tax breaks, if a state wants to be competitive, they still can but through modifying the tax code for everyone instead of giving certain people exceptions. That doesn't seem like a terrible alternative..

Infrastructure is a good one. Universities and high quality labor too.

Re: Meta to receive $3.3B in tax breaks for its $10B Louisiana data center

#30

Post by ceejayoz »

aspenmartin wrote: post #20
ChadNauseam wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's tempting to blame any political outcome you don't like on lobbying. It allows you to believe that almost no one supports the outcome that you don't like, because you can blame it on politicians manage to be bought by a small number of lobbyists. But it might not be the case. Several states (I believe Texas, Georgia, and Indiana) don't charge sales tax to data centers. So from Louisiana's perspective, the alterna…

Well said: why does a tax break bother people so much? That feels pretty populist to me: data centers of this magnitude offer a ton of economic benefits to the area and the state, 3.3B in tax breaks are the price to pay to incentivize them to bring the business to the area, which will then provide a net positive financial benefit. I can see plenty of problems with data center construction that should definitely be ad…

> Well said: why does a tax break bother people so much?

Because it's their money being handed to a trillion dollar company that has no need for a discount?

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