Amazon to get paid by Arlington, VA. to use more space, increasing taxes - Sensationalist Headlines

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/heres-what-amazon-has-to-do-to-get-23-million-from-arlington-county/2019/03/05/5c084d9a-3f61-11e9-a0d3-1210e58a94cf_story.html?noredirect=on Here’s what Amazon has to do to get $23 million from Arlington County Amazon will receive staggered payouts for occupying an increasing amount of office space near National Airport, and get at least two days’ notice when someone requests information it provides to Arlington County, under an incentives agreement the County Board will vote on March 16. The $23 million agreement, which was provided to The Washington Post in advance of its public release later today, spells out for the first time how many square feet the online retail giant must fill each year in order to get money from the county’s hotel tax. The 20-page contract does not include any “asks” of the company, such as that Amazon use construction contractors who pay a living wage (known as a project labor agreement) or that it contribute to the county’s affordable housing trust fund. At least two County Board members have said they want to pressure Amazon to adopt a project labor agreement, and some advocates had hoped that such a request would be part of the initial legal agreement. A request for contributions to an affordable housing trust fund would more typically be made when a company comes to the county with specific development or building plans. (Amazon founder and chief executive Jeffrey P. Bezos also owns The Washington Post.) [Amazon seeks ‘good neighbor’ image but opponents are not impressed] The Arlington board has made clear it expects Amazon to build strong relations with the community. Amazon officials say they have met with 50 local nonprofit groups, as well as numerous business organizations and government officials, as part of their initial efforts to introduce the company in Northern Virginia. But community activists and advocates for the poor who have voiced concerns about Amazon’s arrival are pressing for the board to hold hearings, with Amazon officials in attendance, where members of the public can speak and ask questions. The county’s incentives agreement mostly describes when Amazon would get money from the county — payments that would come from an expected increase in hotel taxes. Not only is Amazon getting taxpayer money, Arlington County taxes are increasing to pay for Amazon.

why do your corporations get welfare but not your actual citizens?

Can someone remind me how much profit Amazon made last year? Now can someone remind me how Amazon paid in taxes last year? Now can someone come murder me in my home so I don't have to live in this boring as fuck corporate dystopia?

Broke: Increasing taxes to pay for healthcare, education, or infrastructure. Woke: Increasing taxes to pay for "incentives" to a megacorporation.

How much diamonds for the service? What methods would you prefer?

"But how can a mega-corporation pull itself up by its boot-straps when they have to carry all that money?!"

I hate amazon but Im a software engineer in the area so if I get a raise then fuck yeah amazon

but doesn't this mean that there's gonna be a bunch of engineers in the area meaning more competition in your field meaning lower odds of a raise?

if amazon starts stealing talent from local workers because amazon pays more then other companies will have to raise their engineers' salaries or else they will lose them

dont you think thats a little selfish

I like to imagine people on facepunch could tell obvious sarcasm and humor better back in the day.

Amazon just fucks everything up. Anytime they move to an area, expect rents to spike for no god damn good reason.

he's been pretty consistent on this point for several threads now

I dont know why everyone assumes that Amazon is going to fly 25,000 people here from seattle rather than hire locally

We're all a little selfish.

Yeah

Can amazon not come here? Thx

I dont live in arlington. I live in a different county. My coworker lives in Arlington and I asked him what he thought. He said he doesnt care since the tax increase will be paid for by people who will stay in hotels which means people who arent from arlington. I cant find a soul at my office who dislikes Amazon coming, but to be fair they're one of our customers

This is so insane I always feel like there's a catch, is it just jobs that they're hoping to get? Or is the board being paid under the table? Who would approve this.

Jobs, I guess. The area Amazon moved into is pretty uninhabited these days, so they're looking to fill out the office space in Crystal City

Amazon coming to the area is going to mean a huge increase in jobs, property values, investment, pretty much everything that comes with having an extremely large and extremely successful company in your backyard. (it's also going to increase cost of living, and choke out smaller companies competing to hire the same talent pool) I've talked to a couple of Arlington residents who are happy to pay more in taxes, figuring that they'll make it back in increased property value.