Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez applauds Amazon's NYC exit
New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said good riddance to Amazon on Thursday, after it announced it was scrapping plans to build its Long Island City, New York, headquarters.
The self-described Democratic socialist made similar comments earlier this month amid speculation the company was debating yanking its plans.
“Can everyday people come together and effectively organize against creeping overreach of one of the world’s biggest corporations?” she wrote in a tweet. “Yes, they can.”
She joined a slew of critics in opposition to the performance-based incentives the company was set to receive from New York State – worth $1.525 billion. It was slated to receive a refundable tax credit worth as much as $1.2 billion over 10 years for the salaries it was to pay workers.
Amazon was also to have received $325 million based on the square footage of the facility it would have occupied over the next decade.
Ocasio-Cortez criticized the company for taking the tax breaks despite being a “billion-dollar company.”
In a statement on Thursday, the e-commerce giant specifically referenced a lack of support from elected officials as one reason it was abandoning the project.
“For Amazon, the commitment to build a new headquarters requires positive, collaborative relationships with state and local elected officials who will be supportive over the long-term,” the company said in a statement.” While polls show that 70% of New Yorkers support our plans and investment, a number of state and local politicians have made it clear that they oppose our presence and will not work with us to build the type of relationships that are required to go forward with the project we and many others envisioned in Long Island City.”
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The company did, however, thank New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, both Democrats, for their support.
The mayor said in a statement on Thursday that Amazon "threw away" an opportunity to do business "in the greatest city in the world."
