rainman + 263 February 15, 2019 Amazon jilted New York City on Valentine’s Day, scrapping plans to build a massive headquarters campus in Queens amid fierce opposition from politicians angry about nearly $3 billion in tax breaks and the company’s anti-union stance. With millions of jobs and a bustling economy, New York can withstand the blow, but experts say the decision by the e-commerce giant to walk away and take with it 25,000 promised jobs could scare off other companies considering moving to or expanding in the city, which wants to be seen as the Silicon Valley of the East Coast. “One of the real risks here is the message we send to companies that want to come to New York and expand to New York,” said Julie Samuels, the executive director of industry group Tech: NYC. “We’re really playing with fire right now.” In November, Amazon selected New York City and Crystal City, Virginia, as the winners of a secretive, yearlong process in which more than 230 North American cities bid to become the home of the Seattle-based company’s second headquarters. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo heralded the city’s selection at the time as the biggest boon yet to its burgeoning tech economy and underscored that the deal would generate billions of dollars for improving transit, schools and housing 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pavel + 384 PP February 15, 2019 NYC is already home to the most tech sector workers in NY. Amazon leaving was purely an exercise in political power that they have no right to possess. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pinto + 293 PZ February 15, 2019 They just don’t want to pay taxes...is that too much to ask? 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderBlade + 231 TB February 15, 2019 Just now, pinto said: They just don’t want to pay taxes...is that too much to ask? The income taxes on those 25 thousand jobs would give NY more than the tax abatement. Also think of the coffee shops, deli’s, restaurants, dry cleaner and infrastructure in would create. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
50 shades of black + 254 February 15, 2019 Of course this exit from Amazon before it even began will scare off other companies from even considering NY, including foreign investment. 1 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
damirUSBiH + 327 DD February 15, 2019 Well blackmail is a popular but immoral tactic. “I’m taking my cookies and going somewhere that doesn’t mind being abused.”. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rainman + 263 February 15, 2019 Good, if by tech companies you mean companies that want to come to NYC and not pay any taxes and harm the community, they can go somewhere else... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dan Warnick + 6,100 February 15, 2019 (edited) Don't know what kind of BS you guys are talking about. Tell me another company, any company, that is in the market to build a 25,000 person headquarters in ANYWHERE! Do you have any idea at all what 25,000 working people and the company that supports such a successful business model would do for a place like Queens? They transform it from, well, Queens(!), that's what. All of those employees would have been paying taxes, Amazon would still have been paying taxes, the businesses where those 25,000 workers would have been spending their money would have been paying taxes. The Mayor and the Governor pledged to give them tax breaks of $3B, not to give them cash in any way shape or form. Estimates are that Amazon would have been paying 8x to 10x more in taxes than the city and state were offering. Try reading the following article, and don't forget to read as many reader comments as you care to, as well. OPINION: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Cringeworthy Reaction to Amazon’s HQ2 Pullout Proves How out of Touch She Really Is CCN reported earlier today that Amazon had scrapped the spacious campus it had planned to build in Long Island City, Queens, which would have created roughly 25,000 well-paying jobs. The residual job creation was estimated to be an additional 67,000 jobs. Read the full story on C C N (CCN.com) Edited February 15, 2019 by Dan Warnick 1 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Illurion + 894 IG February 18, 2019 (edited) On 2/15/2019 at 10:21 AM, damirUSBiH said: Well blackmail is a popular but immoral tactic. “I’m taking my cookies and going somewhere that doesn’t mind being abused.”. ? Leftists use the tactic all the time, and the fake news media always compliments them for doing so... Personally, i do not like Bezos,... or his politics... Hope his 'dick-pics" get spread all over the internet and show he is undersized.... But there are 3 Amazon facilities in my town... employs thousands...... employs the kids of several of my friends... So i am loyal to Amazon... But Amazon did the right thing...... New York did the stupid thing......... New York has been doing a whole lot of stupid things lately...... Edited February 18, 2019 by Illurion 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shadowkin + 584 EA February 20, 2019 Let them (NYC) eat cake 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TXPower + 643 TP February 21, 2019 Babylon is falling......Welcome to NYC, AOC style baby......... 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SERWIN + 749 SE February 21, 2019 But there are so many other cities in America that would be so much cheaper to build in. And good paying jobs in say, Houston would not be good paying jobs in NY, everything is so much more expensive there.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Boat + 1,324 RG February 22, 2019 In NYC Amazon pay won’t cover the costs of anything but poverty living for the worker and a continued stressing and degrading of infrastructure. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shadowkin + 584 EA February 22, 2019 1 hour ago, Boat said: and degrading of infrastructure Have you ever been to NYC? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites