
New Jersey is among several states courting Amazon, as the company scouts out locations for its second headquarters. And a proposal from Republican Governor Chris Christie to offer the company additional tax incentives is getting bipartisan support, including from Democratic Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto.
Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno, who's running to succeed Christie, is on board. Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Phil Murphy also wants to lure Amazon to the Garden State, but he isn't saying whether he supports Christie's plan.
Murphy said he's not opposed to offering tax incentives, as long as New Jerseyeans reap the benefits, too. "I'm open-minded on using smart tax incentives, I've never said I wouldn't be," he said. "They have to be enforced, in other words, if you promise to create X thousands of jobs, you've gotta do that, in order to earn them."
Christie's plan would amend the Grow NJ program to offer Amazon up to $5 billion in tax incentives. It would also allow those credits to carry forward for 50 years.
New York is also trying to lure the company with tax incentives. Speaking on the Brian Lehrer Show Thursday, Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen said more than 20 proposals are under review, and the city will submit bids by October 19th.