Skoufis Launches “Pay Your Damn Taxes, Amazon!” Campaign in Wake of Sweetheart $80M Tax Break from IDA

Senator James Skoufis (D-Orange County) announced today the launch of a community outreach campaign intended to highlight just how little public support there is for giving the world’s richest company over $80 million in property tax breaks. 

The move follows an October 23 Orange County Industrial Development Agency (IDA) meeting, during which the IDA’s board moved swiftly to approve Amazon’s payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOT) agreement, toward a complex in Waywayanda, despite overwhelming public opposition–and the PILOT violating the IDA’s own policies. The agreement forfeits $80.2 million in local taxes and subsidizes hundreds of poverty-wage jobs, all on the backs of local residents. Skoufis is encouraging Orange County neighbors to visit www.PayYourDamnTaxesAmazon.com to sign his petition, showing Amazon and their IDA stooges what Orange County really thinks of shouldering this tax burden.

“That the IDA expects hardworking New Yorkers to pay the taxes of a company valued at over $2.43 TRILLION is abhorrent,” said Skoufis. “The IDA board might be ready to pave the streets in gold for every trillion-dollar company that rolls into Orange County, but I’m certainly not.”

Skoufis’ campaign follows his call last week for the state-appointed IDA monitor – whose placement is a direct result of Skoufis’ advocacy for transparency and meaningful oversight at the IDA – to veto the PILOT agreement for a host of reasons. Approval of the project fails to consider several elements of the agency’s own Uniform Tax Exemption Policy, including: the quality and salary of the projected jobs, demonstrated public support (in this case, opposition), environmental impacts, and additional municipal services, among other criteria. 

“Amazon should not look to local taxpayers to subsidize their poverty-wage project -- it’s insulting to our community,” Skoufis continued. “Unfortunately, the IDA’s leadership is hell-bent on giving away the farm, and they don’t care about taxpayers - never have and, seemingly, never will. This fight isn’t over, and Orange County residents know what to do.”

To sign the Senator’s petition, visit PayYourDamnTaxesAmazon.com. All responses will be forwarded to the IDA and state-appointed monitor.