The Herald reports this is to bolster its existing workforce in the area, and is not tied to the company's search for the city that will give it the biggest tax breaks for its proposed second world headquarters.
More corporate tax breaks! Phew! I was deeply concerned over Bezos wealth collapsing , along with the value of Amazon.
"The company and WS Development are seeking $5 million in property tax breaks, would hinge on Amazon's creation of 2,000 new jobs within 25 miles of the city by 2025."
How about that? Any word on how our mayor feels about Amazon keeping NRA TV available for viewing, given his stance on guns and gun rights? I guess it really doesn't matter when there's money involved.
Money lost that could be going into public services that we could see use and/or return on. Who cares, right? Sure. Let's just give one of the wealthiest companies in the world a pass for the sole reason that they're successful and wealthy. You know who will pay taxes? Those 2,000 workers they employ. Why shouldn't the business? The short (and long) answer is: they should.
By Krantz The Rapper on Wed, 02/28/2018 - 11:29am.
Into thin air. The state has many VA Hospitals, schools, and jails that are either abandoned or so out of shape that the steam that they are producing for these vacant buildings is litterally pissing back into the air. Ask yourself why the state would run heat and lights in a building that is empty. Literally, not a single person working there. I do assessments of these buildings for my job and it really makes you wonder where your money is going.
And here, you are bitching about a company coming to Boston which is bringing in 2,000 jobs. All companies use tax-breaks, even mom & pop shops. So what??!
Government could just stop spending money. I don't ever hear much crowing about that. It's always "that entity should be stripped of more of its money at gunpoint."
If Amazon having money bothers people, then maybe those people should walk their fat, lazy asses to a store. I'm no fanboy for the oligarchy, but I'll never understand why people would side with government over the oligarchy so frequently and so reflexively.
I'll never be convinced that Jeff Bezos is greedy but that government isn't.
But since my fellow voters will continue to hand 97% of the vote in most elections to war/corporation parties, I'll sit here with my 100 shares of Lockheed and keep counting my money.
Ain't hedging grand?
As for Bezos, if those remarks in the above story are offensive, then Gordon Ramsay and Simon Cowell are offensive. Maybe it's only okay because they're on television.
That said, I wouldn't want to work for Amazon after having read that, and now I'm a little more glad they didn't retain me after a temp assignment.
Nor should the conversation needlessly shift to that lens.
Amazon having money isn't what bothers me. Amazon not paying taxes that they should is what bothers me. Was that not clear? Because I think I made that pretty painfully clear.
Tax break does not equal no taxes. And using your theory, shouldn't all corporations in Boston then be required to create (or fund) transportation? I really don't understand why people hate the idea of 2000 or so new jobs coming to the city. Or is it just Amazon that you hate?
Why should Amazon get special treatment for creating jobs in Boston when creating jobs in Boston is not a unique activity to Amazon? Are you also aware that Amazon also already operates in Kendall Square in Cambridge?
Amazon is not making or breaking this deal on $5 million.
However, I'd structure the deal differently. we just give people these breaks and it's up to the city/state to prove they didn't hire the people.
How about this - prove you hired x people based on reasonable criteria (say payroll taxes - and it has to be based on some reasonable wage - say $75k per year) and perhaps you have to show continuity for x number of years.
You get $2500 per person that meets the criteria - you hire 2000 people Voila - there's your $5 million break.
Even white collar technical ones. So I don't expect Amazon to help pay for upgrading transit to make workers' lives better.
Bring in companies with better reputations, and that don't require handouts. There's a wealth of tech talent coming out of the schools, and we'd be willing to stay here, but not many of us really want to work at Amazon.
South Station to just about anywhere in the seaport is a 10-20 min walk. I honestly don't know why anyone would bother with the silver line anyways if they're just hopping from downtown to seaport.
I work at the IDB, which is as far as you can get in the Seaport from South Station. Sure it's about a 25-30 min walk, and that's fine when it's 50-80 degrees, but in the winter walking 30 min in freezing wind is not ideal, nor is it when it's snowing, raining, 90 degrees, etc. And honestly, what's the point of transit if it's so bad you have to just walk anyways??
Can we go back to that? You can make Waltham cool again! Throw a couple of brewpubs in, put in some updated (ie lots of charcoal grey!) suburbia style condos with fitness centers and free yoga classes. The tech hipsters will love it! Craft Beer - Suburban Predictability - Fios - Other People Like Themselves! And if they want the 'grit' of urban life - Moody Street! It's way grittier and funkier than Broadway in Southie, no matter what Ben Affleck says.
The 'city life' is overrated, y'all! Go to Waltham, Norwood, Natick - You'll LOVE IT there!! Forget Boston. Boston is so over. And the food is so overrrated. Waltham! That's where you want to be!
Good luck, and maybe we'll run into each other outside of Fenway someday . .
Comments
Excellent
That's more people using the transit/roads to the Seaport daily. Hopefully the gondolas will be installed by then.
Gondola Schmondola
Put the Green Line trains in the Seaport tunnel as originally intended. Problem solved.
Oh good!
More corporate tax breaks! Phew! I was deeply concerned over Bezos wealth collapsing , along with the value of Amazon.
"The company and WS Development are seeking $5 million in property tax breaks, would hinge on Amazon's creation of 2,000 new jobs within 25 miles of the city by 2025."
How about that? Any word on how our mayor feels about Amazon keeping NRA TV available for viewing, given his stance on guns and gun rights? I guess it really doesn't matter when there's money involved.
Yep
I know.. first thing I thought of
Thank God, Amazon is getting more tax breaks.
You know so Bezos can build stupid crap like a clock....
Actually
The clock's pretty sick.
yeah
It's sick.. sick to ask for tax breaks if you have money to throw at that.
What do you care?
What do you care?
Great attitude
Money lost that could be going into public services that we could see use and/or return on. Who cares, right? Sure. Let's just give one of the wealthiest companies in the world a pass for the sole reason that they're successful and wealthy. You know who will pay taxes? Those 2,000 workers they employ. Why shouldn't the business? The short (and long) answer is: they should.
Do you really want to know where your tax money goes?
Into thin air. The state has many VA Hospitals, schools, and jails that are either abandoned or so out of shape that the steam that they are producing for these vacant buildings is litterally pissing back into the air. Ask yourself why the state would run heat and lights in a building that is empty. Literally, not a single person working there. I do assessments of these buildings for my job and it really makes you wonder where your money is going.
And here, you are bitching about a company coming to Boston which is bringing in 2,000 jobs. All companies use tax-breaks, even mom & pop shops. So what??!
The state has many VA
Bruh u know that's all federal, right?
Or
Government could just stop spending money. I don't ever hear much crowing about that. It's always "that entity should be stripped of more of its money at gunpoint."
If Amazon having money bothers people, then maybe those people should walk their fat, lazy asses to a store. I'm no fanboy for the oligarchy, but I'll never understand why people would side with government over the oligarchy so frequently and so reflexively.
I'll never be convinced that Jeff Bezos is greedy but that government isn't.
Hey, I am all for slashing
the military budget...are you game?
It is does not bother me that Amazon has money. It bothers me that we are giving very wealthy corporations tax breaks. I pay taxes and so should they.
Oh, lol, Bezos is a greedy sonofabasket:
http://www.businessinsider.com/things-amazons-jeff-bezos-tells-employees...
I'm fine with slashing the military budget
But since my fellow voters will continue to hand 97% of the vote in most elections to war/corporation parties, I'll sit here with my 100 shares of Lockheed and keep counting my money.
Ain't hedging grand?
As for Bezos, if those remarks in the above story are offensive, then Gordon Ramsay and Simon Cowell are offensive. Maybe it's only okay because they're on television.
That said, I wouldn't want to work for Amazon after having read that, and now I'm a little more glad they didn't retain me after a temp assignment.
Greed wasn't my point.
Nor should the conversation needlessly shift to that lens.
Amazon having money isn't what bothers me. Amazon not paying taxes that they should is what bothers me. Was that not clear? Because I think I made that pretty painfully clear.
We care because we work in the area
We care because we see many problems that this will make worse, should be payed for with tax money, and instead we see tax breaks.
Amazon should be required to pay taxes or create an all-comers transit system for the area.
Tax break does not equal no
Tax break does not equal no taxes. And using your theory, shouldn't all corporations in Boston then be required to create (or fund) transportation? I really don't understand why people hate the idea of 2000 or so new jobs coming to the city. Or is it just Amazon that you hate?
Straw man.
Why should Amazon get special treatment for creating jobs in Boston when creating jobs in Boston is not a unique activity to Amazon? Are you also aware that Amazon also already operates in Kendall Square in Cambridge?
Pay your taxes, slouches!
I agree
Amazon is not making or breaking this deal on $5 million.
However, I'd structure the deal differently. we just give people these breaks and it's up to the city/state to prove they didn't hire the people.
How about this - prove you hired x people based on reasonable criteria (say payroll taxes - and it has to be based on some reasonable wage - say $75k per year) and perhaps you have to show continuity for x number of years.
You get $2500 per person that meets the criteria - you hire 2000 people Voila - there's your $5 million break.
Yup, dangle
"tax breaks!" in front of the Mayor and he is all for it.
For the life of me, why are we giving Amazon tax breaks?
If you have a problem with
If you have a problem with Amazon then stop shopping of its website.
Amazon isn't giving amazon tax breaks
The city is giving them tax breaks and then effing up the transportation structure of the area for more of what causes it to be so effed up.
Have fun commuting down there
Have fun commuting down there.
Am I missing something?
Am I missing something? Where did you read Amazon was getting tax breaks
What kind of jobs?
Professional jobs, warehouse/shipping jobs, Whole Foods jobs, part-time, contractor or full-time with benefits jobs... ?
Silver line rider
+1,000 people from the MassMutual HQ.
+2,000 people from Amazon.
Can't wait to see what the silver line platform looks like at rush hour after this. Someone please just kill me now.
Yeah, Amazon has a reputation for treating employees poorly
Even white collar technical ones. So I don't expect Amazon to help pay for upgrading transit to make workers' lives better.
Bring in companies with better reputations, and that don't require handouts. There's a wealth of tech talent coming out of the schools, and we'd be willing to stay here, but not many of us really want to work at Amazon.
Walk
South Station to just about anywhere in the seaport is a 10-20 min walk. I honestly don't know why anyone would bother with the silver line anyways if they're just hopping from downtown to seaport.
yea no
I work at the IDB, which is as far as you can get in the Seaport from South Station. Sure it's about a 25-30 min walk, and that's fine when it's 50-80 degrees, but in the winter walking 30 min in freezing wind is not ideal, nor is it when it's snowing, raining, 90 degrees, etc. And honestly, what's the point of transit if it's so bad you have to just walk anyways??
That's 2000 people bidding up
That's 2000 people bidding up housing prices. And no one has any idea why, but the city needs 'more affordable housing.'
The Golden Years = When These Companies Would Go To 128
Can we go back to that? You can make Waltham cool again! Throw a couple of brewpubs in, put in some updated (ie lots of charcoal grey!) suburbia style condos with fitness centers and free yoga classes. The tech hipsters will love it! Craft Beer - Suburban Predictability - Fios - Other People Like Themselves! And if they want the 'grit' of urban life - Moody Street! It's way grittier and funkier than Broadway in Southie, no matter what Ben Affleck says.
The 'city life' is overrated, y'all! Go to Waltham, Norwood, Natick - You'll LOVE IT there!! Forget Boston. Boston is so over. And the food is so overrrated. Waltham! That's where you want to be!
Good luck, and maybe we'll run into each other outside of Fenway someday . .