Amazon Gets Nearly $1 Million in Tax Breaks Annually: Are You OK With That?

Making a move to Hillsborough County just became a much sweeter idea for Amazon.com – about $7 million sweeter.

County Commissioners unanimously agreed Wednesday, July 17 to approve a plan that would give the online retailer $913,680 in property tax breaks a year for a seven-year period should it choose to locate a new operation in South Hillsborough County.

The company has expressed an interest in the Ruskin area for a new retail fulfillment center. If Amazon does come to Hillsborough, the county stands to gain about 375 jobs – 75 of which will pay wages of nearly $50,000 a year. All told, Amazon would attract about 1,000 jobs to the area.

The breaks add up to about 50 percent of what the county anticipates in property taxes from the company over the first seven years. That means, the county’s coffers would still see more than $900,000 in new revenue each year during the tax-break period.

Amazon wasn’t the only company to get the green light for tax breaks during Wednesday’s meeting either. An unnamed pharmaceutical company was also approved for $694,800 in tax breaks should it make the move here, according to TBO.com.

What do you think, Westchase? Are the tax breaks worth the gain or is the county giving too much away? Tell us by commenting below!