Maryland lawmakers approved the so-called PRIME Act this week, an $8.5 billion package filled with credits, incentives and grants aimed at cementing a deal with Amazon for its second headquarters.
The package is the largest ever offered in Maryland, which has previously only offered deals topping out in the hundreds of millions. The offer is setting the bar for the country (and one Canadian city), though many cities and states aren't saying what they are pitching. In contrast, a small number of the 20 finalist cities say they included no incentives in their bids, or nothing more than is offered to any other business creating jobs.
Maryland's offer, which passed with bipartisan but not unanimous support, includes $6.5 billion in tax incentives and $2 billion in infrastructure and transportation improvements for the site in Montgomery County, one of 20 still in the running. Other sites in Port Covington in South Baltimore and the Old Goucher neighborhood didn't make the cut for the HQ2 project, expected to create 50,000 high-paying jobs and a $5 billion investment.
Here are the finalists and their offers, when details are publicly known. The findings were collected from news sources including Business Insider, CNET and several local newspapers and news radio stations.
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» Montgomery County: $8.5 billion in tax and infrastructure incentives
» Newark, N.J.: $7 billion
» Philadelphia: $2 billion-$3 billion and possibly property
» Columbus, Ohio: $2.3 billion
» Chicago: $2 billion
» Atlanta: $1 billion plus title of mayor for Jeff Bezos for a town outside of the city
» Los Angeles: Up to $1 billion
» Denver: $100 million or more, based on existing incentive programs
» Austin, Texas: no subsidies included in bid from the city, no details disclosed by the state
» Nashville, Tenn.: no incentives offered by the city
» New York City: no special tax breaks or subsidies from the city, though it has identified properties; no details disclosed by the state
» Toronto, Ontario: no special tax incentives or subsidies offered
» Boston/Somerville, Mass.: no details disclosed
» Dallas, Texas: no details disclosed
» Indianapolis, Ind.: no details disclosed
The Evening Sun
» Miami, Fla.: no details disclosed
» Northern Virginia, Va.: no details disclosed
» Pittsburgh: no details disclosed
» Raleigh, N.C.:no details disclosed, though legislation recently passed to offer tax refunds and infrastructure aid to big job creators
» Washington, D.C.: no details disclosed, except training for workers