As New York courts new business in hopes of gaining new tax revenue to manage a failing infrastructure, some would rather not give big tax breaks to large companies in return.
With New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York Mayor Bill de Blasio leading the charge by offering $3 billion in tax breaks and subsidies to Amazon in exchange for 25,000 new jobs and upward to $27.5 billion in tax revenue. Which by all accounts would appear to be a great deal for NY. Give up $3 billion now in tax breaks and gain $27.5 billion later. But some aren’t having it.
Many on the left saw the NY/Amazon arrangement as a bad deal. One outspoken freshman congresswoman from NY, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) repeatedly voiced her concerns over the deal.
On February 8, 2019, she tweeted: “Can everyday people come together and effectively organize against creeping overreach of one of the world’s biggest corporations?
Yes, they can.”
On Thursday, Feb, 14th Citing a lack of cooperation between local politicians, at last Amazon had decided to pull the deal and look elsewhere to build their multi-billion dollar headquarters. This, of course, is no fault of AOC. Nevertheless, the Dems celebrate the loss of all those jobs and billions in tax revenue.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a statement on Thursday: “A small group of politicians put their own narrow political interests above their community — which poll after poll showed overwhelmingly supported bringing Amazon to Long Island City — the state’s economic future and the best interests of the people of this state.”
AOC celebratory tweet:
Anything is possible: today was the day a group of dedicated, everyday New Yorkers & their neighbors defeated Amazon’s corporate greed, its worker exploitation, and the power of the richest man in the world. https://t.co/nyvm5vtH9k
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) February 14, 2019
Elizabeth Warren celebratory tweet:
.@Amazon – one of the wealthiest companies on the planet – just walked away from billions in taxpayer bribes, all because some elected officials in New York aren’t sucking up to them enough. How long will we allow giant corporations to hold our democracy hostage? https://t.co/O9pz7en43B
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) February 14, 2019
