KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City announced that it will reveal details of its proposal to convince Amazon to build its headquarters in Kansas City.
Amazon is promising 50,000 jobs and a $5 billion investment in the city that wins its new headquarters. Competition is fierce and some economists are worried that cities will offer Amazon huge tax-breaks that will likely hurt the city that wins the contract.
However, UMKC Bloch School of Management Professor Allan Katz disagrees.
Katz said it's hard to imagine a scenario in which the city landing the Amazon Headquarters will take a financial loss. Katz said making a proposal is a balancing act. He said city leaders have to weigh the tax breaks with the income such a project would generate.
"Something of this magnitude comes along... maybe once every 25 years or so and so it's like you know... it's hard to imagine that this would not have a net positive for this community," said Katz.
Professor Katz also said Amazon is not just looking at tax incentives. He believes company executives are also interested in quality of life issues like housing, education, and entertainment. He said Kansas City is a strong contender in that category because of our affordable housing and cost of living.
