Let's Talk New Mexico 11/16 8a: New Mexico is one of dozens of states and communities vying for Amazon’s second headquarters. Many places are promising hefty incentives to land the deal, just as we did unsuccessfully several years ago for a Tesla facility. Should New Mexico offer incentives to lure big companies that could jumpstart our economy? Email letstalk@kunm.org, use the hashtag #letstalkNM on Twitter or call in live during the show.
Amazon has promised the successful bidder in this competition will get $5 billion in investment and 50,000 jobs. Supporters say this gets us on the radar of big employers, even if we don’t land a big project. But critics say multimillion dollar corporations are using incentives to pit communities and states against one another, with corporations the ultimate winners. Meanwhile, in New Mexico we have the second highest unemployment rate right now and we’re seeing a brain drain of our best and brightest workers.
- Does this kind of gamesmanship makes sense for our struggling economy?
- Should we be thinking big by bidding for Amazon or other big employers?
- How else are officials at the municipal and state levels working to help companies start and expand here, especially home-grown companies?
Additional reading:
- Amazon’s Guidelines For Cities To Bid For HQ2
- Will Amazon Fool Us Twice?Good Jobs First
- Amazon’s HQ2 and the Rise Of Big-Ticket Megadeals - Good Jobs First
- Billions In Tax Breaks Offered To Amazon For Second Headquarters - Reuters
- Just Say No To Bribing Amazon To Come To Nevada - Las Vegas Review Journal
- How Cities Are Wooing Amazon - Vox
- State Proposal Has Border Element - Las Cruces Sun-News
- New Mexico Isn’t Ready For Recession - NM Political Report
- Albuquerque Selling Sunshine, Trying To Lure New Amazon HQ - Albuquerque Journal
- Report By New Mexico State Auditor on Swiss Cheese Tax Code
- Choices: Amazon Says It Got 238 Entries For Second Headquarters - Associated Press
- Newly Released Documents Show Nitty-Gritty Of Colorado’s Bid For Amazon’s Second Headquarters - Denver Post
