Mayor Bill de Blasio is continuing to speak out in support of a deal that lured Amazon to Long Island City, despite vocal opposition.
Amazon is receiving more than $1 billion in tax breaks and incentives to make the move.That’s led to criticism from many, including former Mayor Michael Bloomberg.He said Amazon didn’t need any incentive to move to New York City.
“I have rarely heard something so ironic. Here is a charter member of the one percent who has gotten a lot of his wealth through favorable government policies, like a very low tax rate for the rich, compared to what it used to be, and he's criticizing an economic development deal, I find that unusual,” de Blasio said.
Another obstacle to Amazon’s move is the appointment of State Senator Michael Gianaris to a state board that has to approve the deal.Gianaris has been a vocal critic of the incentive package that Amazon is receiving.
“We cannot lose 25,000 to 40,000 new jobs. That's the bottom line. Anything else people want to work on to improve the deal, I'm happy to have that discussion all day long. But the City of New York cannot lose 25,000 to 40,000 new jobs,” de Blasio said.
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