Companies have saved $474 million since 2018, with most of the windfall going to Washington-based tech giant Microsoft. Lawmakers repeatedly expanded who qualifies, and they lowered the number of jobs expected in return.

One of Washington’s largest corporate tax breaks has grown alongside a data center boom in Central Washington, including this data center in East Wenatchee owned by the Sabey Corp. Despite forgoing more than $474 million since 2018, the state can’t say how many jobs were created by the tax break. During that same time frame, it also hasn’t evaluated whether the revenue loss was worth it.

  • @TCB13English
    -17•1 month ago

    So what, people need cloud services and Netherlands did the same and became one of the top spot for datacenters in Europe and nobody is bitching around.

    • @czardestructo
      25•1 month ago

      Needing something is one thing, tax payer subsidies is another topic entirely. State tax payers have now all chipped in for these Data centers and the question is was it worth it for them.

        • sunzu
          4•1 month ago

          Taxpyer is the ultimate bagholder in today’s economy. All the risk, all the costs zero fucking return.

          buT 20 JoBs we MaDE for PeAsaNTs rhEee

      • @TCB13English
        -2•1 month ago

        tax payer subsidies

        It’s not subsidies, it is tax breaks if companies go there. A very different thing.

    • sunzu
      5•1 month ago

      If taxpayer pays for capex, taxpayer should get equity, my dear bootlicker