Officials in a remote northeastern Oregon county have voted to give tax breaks worth an estimated $1 billion to Amazon for five more data centers there.
Wednesday’s unanimous vote by Port of Morrow’s five commissioners was the last step in securing the enterprise zone incentives, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. Companies in the state can receive property tax exemptions through local enterprise zones.Wednesday’s unanimous vote by Port of Morrow’s five commissioners was the last step in securing the enterprise zone incentives, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported.
The state is investigating potential conflicts of interest among port officials and a former county commissioner who own Windwave Communications, a company that provides fiber-optic service to Amazon’s local data centers. Three other public bodies in Morrow County previously gave their approval to the latest agreement, each in votes with little public discussion. The incentives exempt Amazon from paying nearly three-quarters of the property taxes other businesses pay.
“We’ve been an active member of eastern Oregon communities since 2011, investing more than $15.6 billion while supporting thousands of local jobs,” Amazon said in a written statement after Wednesday’s vote. Data centers are among the state’s fastest-growing industries, fueled partly by tax breaks worth $180 million last year alone.
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