WASHINGTON — Maryland lawmakers have agreed to roll out the red carpet and then some in an effort to lure Amazon’s second headquarters to Montgomery County. But how does it compare with other offers being made?
The incentive package to Amazon includes tax breaks and infrastructure improvements worth more than $8.5 billion. The package has cleared the House and Senate with the enthusiastic backing of Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan.
There’s still some mystery about what many of the cities on Amazon’s top-20 finalists list are willing to offer the online shopping behemoth. Both D.C. and Virginia are among the finalists that have kept their offers under wraps.
But of the cities that have made all or parts of their proposals known, none seem to come close to what Maryland is offering.
Newark, New Jersey, has offered a $7 billion package, that is believed to be the closest to Maryland’s offer, according to the Baltimore Sun.
Chicago, Columbus, Ohio and Philadelphia have packages believed to be worth $2-3 billion.
Some lawmakers in Annapolis, Maryland, feel that making offers abundantly clear and actually laying it out there for Amazon, shows how serious the state is about luring the online retailer to Montgomery County.
Amazon headquarters are expected to create 50,000 jobs in whatever locality is chosen.
Earlier this year, a survey conducted by a Baltimore-based firm on behalf of the state and Montgomery County estimated that Amazon’s arrival would have a $17 billion impact on Maryland’s economy. That would be on top of an estimated $7.7 billion in annual wages.
