Pennsylvania voted 197–5 to repeal a data center tax break projected to cost $517M annually by 2030, stripping benefits from Amazon, Microsoft, and Alphabet.
  • Aatube@piefed.socialEnglish
    1·
    23 hours ago

    A 197–5 vote doesn’t happen in a state legislature — not on tax policy, not on anything.

    <citation needed>

    • Malyca@lemmy.zipEnglish
      2·
      1 day ago

      If piss baby in Texas can change his mind, they all will. Self preservation above all else.

  • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.worldEnglish
    45·
    2 days ago

    $75–100 million in capital investment and 25–45 jobs

    Only $2M/job! What a steal.

    Dozens of data center projects were already benefiting as of January 2026

    Should be noted that a lot of these data centers can’t turn on, because the grid doesn’t have the capacity. Others can’t turn on because they have no customers lined up, merely trying to front-run demand.

    These tax breaks are subsidizing a business need that hasn’t even materialized yet. And because of the poor regulatory and tax auditing of these highly technical facilities, it is entirely unclear how the state could have recouped these tax losses had the centers ever turned on.

    • Boomer Humor Doomergod@lemmy.worldEnglish
      16·
      2 days ago

      Only $2M/job. What a deal

      I love doing this sort of math on things. They could have just laid all those people $200,000 a year for a decade to sit on their ass and it would have cost the same.

      • Serinus@lemmy.worldEnglish
        3·
        2 days ago

        We were gonna pay Iran $300b so that they wouldn’t charge $8b/month ($2m per ship) in fees for two months.

      • ArbitraryValue@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        24·
        2 days ago

        Well no, they couldn’t have, because this is money they can’t get in any case. Data centers that aren’t built don’t pay taxes.

          • ArbitraryValue@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
            36·
            2 days ago

            Tax exemptions for activity that would not have taken place without those tax exemptions cost the state nothing - no money is being “thrown” and no potential tax income is being forgone. Meanwhile, giving “poor guys” $200,000 a year costs $200,000 per year per poor guy. That’s the difference.

  • UltraMagnus0001@lemmy.worldEnglish
    1·
    1 day ago

    I do think that having the big companies pay for for the infrastructure without subsidies would’ve been nice. The grid needs upgrading for EVs and so on.