Comments on: N.C. town sweetens pot for an Apple move

On top of the tax breaks being offered Apple by the state, the town of Maiden is ponying up an additional $20.7 million in incentives to land a data center.

[monkeyfun14]

N.C. is screwing themselves for few jobs that few people are even capable of doing.

[Renegade Knight]

They all do that. Even your town. It's neither ethical nor right. It is, however reality. That Apple (or any other company) would allow towns to prostitute themselves at the expense of their citizens tells you a lot about corporate ethics.

[Mikeatle]

Stam is probably more of a PC guy. LOL.

[MadLyb]

No, Stam is a guy with a clue.

I live in NC, actually right next to Catawba County and we have been hit hard over the last few years with Job Losses, but this is sheer stupidity. Google and Apple introduce a small number of jobs and we basically hand them a blank check.

Meanwhile, Cisco and IBM each create over 10K jobs in the state and they get handed a tax bill. At least in the Dell project, there were almost 2000 Full-time and direct jobs and the incentives are keyed to those numbers.

I know we are trying to grow NC beyond its roots in manufacturing and agriculture, but this makes no sense. It is pandering and fiscal irresponsibility at it's finest.

[dennisl59]

Once again North Carolina politicans are being played for fools. Just like they were when the Dell Deal was signed. Idiots!

[monkeyfun14]

Was anyone else thinking of marijuana when they say the title of this article? Lol

[Seaspray0]

Not until you mentioned it. That's just absolutely sick.... good job.

[kltron]

Hey, businesses! C'mon! Come to Massachusetts!
- Mass just raised the sales tax 25% so we could avoid a hike in the gas tax...which is back on the table and still may happen anyway...
- We voted to bring down a "temporary emergency" increase in the income tax several years ago...the legislature ignored the voters and is now talking about hitting us with a graduated (read: HIGHER for those who produce) state income tax...
- Any business with 10 people or more MUST provide health insurance. If you as a person don't have health insurance, you pay a penalty (so you basically have to PAY for the privilege to live in Massachusetts now)...and the MA health insurance system is bankrupt yet the pols won't dare touch it...or the toll-takers or other hack-a-rama workers in the state agencies...
- One candidate for State Treasurer has declared that he expects the Fed to bail out the state with more stimulus because it's the Fed's job to do so...(!!??)

So...Come to Massachusetts while we rearrange the deck chairs for you! We're not only the place where clueless pols (Hi Barney!) get elected, and we're not just political hack friendly and business friendly...we're also people friendly! Ask anyone who's been to the DMV...oh, wait, they just raised fees and still closed branches? Never mind.

[ewsachse]

Listening to too much Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck lately?

You sound like the famous conservative of Boston - Charles Emerson Winchester III, M.D.

[Dan7637]

at least Apple would create some jobs by doing this

[Renegade Knight]

They would create the jobs regardless of what the town does to lure them in.

[sciontcya]

I guess some of you would rather Apple, Dell, MS go to India? China?
Economists are you?

[ewsachse]

Apple will just take the tax breaks, move in for a few years, and still outsource jobs overseas. If they really want to pull one over on the local government, they will keep the data center in NC, but they will fire all the overpaid American citizens, and import under-qualified tech slaves from overseas while they dangle a green card over their heads for several years. Nielson just pulled this whopper in Oldsmar, FL.

Every corporation does this same pattern, yet the clueless local city and county governments fall for it hook, line and sinker.

The likely reasoning behind this deal from Apple to NC is that they want to hold California hostage for some tax breaks by threatening to move some operations to NC.

[MikeG8r]

It's a data center, not a business and development campus. The only decent paying jobs are going to be the handful of admins, most of which will probably commute over from Charlotte.

[Renegade Knight]

Apple "Designed in the USA, Made in China" Corp. Already is in China.

[JHankwitz]

So, if I'm reading this right, the town is offering to pay Apple $132,000 each year for each employee they have working there for the next 10 years. Where do I apply?

[James7777777]

If Apple opens in this town they could potentially get an extra $30 Million in tax revenue. The town is willing to give Apple a break and only charge $9.3 Million in taxes, saving Apple $20.7 Million. So Apple pays less taxes and the town still ends up with $9.3 Million more then before. Additionally there are 50 new jobs in the town, which will help bring money to the community as a whole.

No one is giving Apple money, the local governments are simply offering to charge Apple less money.

[sciontcya]

Exactly.
LA USED to do this for the film industry, but they no longer do, hence, no movies made here.
You want to see the other side of NOT giving tax breaks?
I do - my wife is in that industry, and it's been all but killed-off here.

[Renegade Knight]

Nice logic. Except someone has to make up the 20 million in roads, sewers, water supply and other infrastructure that Apple won't be helping with.

While the City can Charge one Tax Paying entity less, they still have to cover all the services.

So even if they arn't giving Apple money, they are going to have to take it from someone else to make up the shortfall.

[James7777777]

@Renegade Knight

You are assuming the taxes paid by that company go directly back to the company which is false. That makes the rest of your argument fall apart.

[drewbyh]

It's not just about the jobs that Apple brings. Other businesses will open up around the data center as well as new neighborhoods. It's a win-win for most involved.

[Renegade Knight]

So each of those businesses algo get taxed less than their share which in turn puts more burned on their employees? Sounds equitiable.

What's Apple going to do with the savings? Put it n it's 401K for when it retires?

[shycelticwitch]

You can't stop progress. It wouldn't matter if this were Apple or IBM. The fact is jobs are needed. NOW. One less person out of work is one less burden on the welfare system. Technology certainly isn't going backwards, and you can't predict what will become of this venture in the future by what other companies have done in the past.

The argument that only a handful of highly paid admins will benefit from this is baseless. Certainly there will be some high salaries paid for knowledge and skill (which makes it an earned salary), but many others will benefit from simply having an income.

Average American Joe Plumber will refuse to work at hard labor ($12 an hour picking tomatoes in FL is a pretty good wage for ANY labor) because he's been brainwashed to believe that kind of work is for low-lifers. But he'll work for $7 at a hamburger joint because its air conditioned and the physical labor is minimal.

So as far as I am concerned, if a business in this country wants to provide a few more AC jobs that will get a few more able bodies off the welfare rolls, by all means give them whatever incentives they need to get it done. I am sick and tired of supporting those who WON'T work because they can't have the "dream job" they want.

[shycelticwitch]

PS... while I was paying my own way through college, I worked nights and weekends at a uniform laundry service. When I started my own business, I was working at a stable shoveling unowhat 9 hours a day, 6 days a week. If you can walk, talk and otherwise function as a normal human being, than no job is "beneath you".

[Renegade Knight]

I'm sick of subisdizing corporate welfare. I'd rather my money went elsewhere.

Apples version of "Giving back" was money thrown to one side of a controversial ballot issue in CA. They could better give back by stepping up to the plate and paying their share of tax without special treatment in the community they choose to live in. You know act like a citizen and do their part. If by chance Town A is a better fit than Town B without asking for special treatment then by all means build in Town B.