Travis County, Texas is looking to give Apple an 80 percent rebate on its tax bill if it promises to hire “economically disadvantaged” locals. This could amount to US$7.4 million over 10 years and could be extended for an additional five years.
Austin sweetens its expansion offer to Apple
Apple is looking to double its workforce and add up to 3,600 jobs to its Austin facility over the next 10 years. It has already received incentive offers from both the State of Texas and the City of Austin to do so. The state offered a $21 million package from its Enterprise Fund and the city approved $8.6 million in tax breaks.
Now the county is looking to sweeten the pot, with another $7.4 million, according to The Austin American Statesman. That brings the total package to $37 million. The deal is not finalized and will be taken up again on April 17th by the county commissioners.
The requirement to hire a percentage of “economically disadvantaged” people is part of the negotiation. “Economically disadvantaged” is defined as a person who is unemployed, has completed a targeted job training, or lives in an area targeted for development, and the percentage of hires that would be required to meet this qualification is part of the negotiation.
“We want to provide some opportunity for upward mobility but also give Apple employees that are qualified,” said County Judge Sam Biscoe.
Apple’s hiring effort will be stretched out over 10 years. The average salary for the expected 3,600 jobs would be from $54,000 to $73,500. The building project itself is set for two phases: The smaller, first phase is a 200,000 square-foot expansion for $56.5 million and the second, larger, phase is planned as an 800,000 square-foot expansion totaling $226 million.