Amazon has been awarded a record amount of tax exemptions, grants and other incentives this year from local government across the US.
State officials have given Amazon an estimated $650 million in tax breaks this year in efforts to bring the retailers one-day and same-day delivery networks to their areas.
According to data from economic development watchdog Good Jobs First, 2021 has already seen the largest number of tax breaks handed to Amazon since it began collecting data in 2001.
The watchdog says the $650 estimate is likely conservative, and the number is expected to be over the $750 million in grants Amazon received for building its second headquarters in Virginia.
State officials are understood to be desperate to rollout rapid delivery networks in the wake of the pandemic, after seeing the economy veer sharply towards digital models.
While Good Jobs First says Amazon “should stop asking for any kind of incentives”, Amazon says it does not “receive a penny until after (we) have created jobs and made capital investment.
“In 2020 alone, Amazon invested $150bn in the US, opened more than 100 sites and created more than 400,000 jobs across more than 40 states.”
Across its numerous business arms, including Amazon, Whole Foods, Prime television and film studios and fashion studios in New York, Amazon is understood to have received some $4.1 billion in incentives since 2000.
– ChargedRetail