Some New Yorkers — including Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio — cheered Amazon's decision to head to the Big Apple.
But critics almost immediately objected to the massive subsidies that New York offered to lure the tech behemoth.
New York State, for instance, said it would grant $1.525 billion in incentives contingent on the company creating 25,000 new jobs with an average salary of $150,000.
And Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the liberal firebrand whose district includes Long Island City, is among HQ2's opponents. State Senator Michael Gianaris and Queens City Council Member Jimmy van Bramer also voiced their opposition to the tax breaks.
Amazon, for its part, tried to win over its "future neighbors" with a print advertisement that ran in local newspapers in early January.
"Happy New Year from your future neighbors at Amazon," the ad read.
The company said it hopes to have a "long and mutually beneficial partnership between New Yorkers and Amazon." It pledged that the 25,000 jobs that will be added over 10 years at its so-called HQ2 in the Long Island City neighborhood will include new hires from "across the five boroughs" and with "all different levels of education."
It also said the company would offer career training for local residents and bring in over $27 billion in state and local tax revenue that can help "improve subways and buses."
"As we move forward, we pledge to be your partner, to listen, learn, and work together," the ad said.
from CNN.com - RSS Channel https://cnn.it/2TNR0ig
No comments:
Post a Comment