Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News , or add us as a preferred source , to get our latest news, analysis, & reviews in your feeds.
Newton Gitonga Freelance Writer Newton Gitonga is a tech journalist covering gadgets, PC hardware, AI, data centers, and the wider tech industry. His interest in technology started early, taking apart things around the house to see how they worked, often to his dad’s frustration. His curiosity sometimes got the better of him, including a few failed attempts to fix laptops, one of them a gifted Dell XPS. He has previously written for Notebookcheck, ZyCrypto, CoinCentral, and Crypto News Flash.
PEnns "…Google also agreed to withdraw an earlier request for up to $80 million in property tax breaks." Somebody remind me, why do they want (and quite often get) such huge tax breaks?? Just imagine a behemoth like Google begging for money….sounds like a certain billionaire we know so well! It's not like data centers provide huge amount of new jobs. There is essentially no major infusion of money into the communities, but definitely into the city councils where the persons who approve what Tech Bros want are located. Reply
Faiakes PEnns said: "…Google also agreed to withdraw an earlier request for up to $80 million in property tax breaks." Somebody remind me, why do they want (and quite often get) such huge tax breaks?? It's not like data centers provide huge amount of new jobs. There is essentially no major infusion of money into the communities, but definitely into the city councils where the persons who approve what Tech Bros want are located. This is systemic corruption. Reply
me-three PEnns said: "…Google also agreed to withdraw an earlier request for up to $80 million in property tax breaks." Somebody remind me, why do they want (and quite often get) such huge tax breaks?? Just imagine a behemoth like Google begging for money….sounds like a certain billionaire we know so well! It's not like data centers provide huge amount of new jobs. There is essentially no major infusion of money into the communities, but definitely into the city councils where the persons who approve what Tech Bros want are located. Tax breaks aren't money given to companies. It reduces from what they would've paid in property/sales/use taxes. If company doesn't build, local govt get nothing anyway. If company builds, govt get less. Peeps keep thinking that tax breaks are money handed over to companies. Well, yes and no. Yes, because "handing money over" and "paying less" comes out to be the same. No, because the distinction matters. One makes for good ragebait. The other tends to be ignored, because peeps generally have an aversion to math. Arguments favor emotions over logic, because people are emotional creatures. You bring up numbers, and peoples' eyes glaze over. Saying "we are paying Google $80M" or "data centers are taking our water and raising our utility bills" gets their proper attention. BTW, the tax breaks aren't $80M. That's just for the city rebate on property tax, spread over 28 years. The larger tax break is the state sales & use tax, which can amount to $20M/yr, is still in play, and presumably already granted given the go-ahead. If anyone wants the particular on Google's tax burden for this particular example in Hermantown, Minnesota, I invite you to query your online chatbot. The numbers may not be correct, but they should be in the ballpark. It's a fair chunk of change per year, in the tens of millions. If assuming a 20-year life span, then hundreds of millions. It's not (just) about jobs. Edit: Per Meta's Muse Spark, Total tax break requested: . City property tax: $80M nominal / $33.5M present value . State sales/use on IT: ~$400-700M over 20-35 years on our $2B build assumptions . State sales/use on electricity: ~$50M over 20 years if it had stayed exempt = ~$530M to $830M lifetime nominal — but only the $80M was ever in a city document. Total actually granted going forward after the withdrawal and the new state laws: . City property tax abatement: $0 . State sales/use on IT equipment: partial — likely the first tranche pre-July 2026 still exempt, all future refresh fully taxable . State sales/use on electricity: $0 . State annual fee owed by Google: ~$5M/year That's why the city could announce "Google will pay full taxes" and be technically true for property tax, while the much larger state exemption that dwarfs the $80M was quietly grandfathered and then repealed for everyone else next year. Reply
R_O me-three said: Tax breaks aren't money given to companies. It reduces from what they would've paid in property/sales/use taxes. If company doesn't build, local govt get nothing anyway. If company builds, govt get less. Peeps keep thinking that tax breaks are money handed over to companies. Well, yes and no. Yes, because "handing money over" and "paying less" comes out to be the same. No, because the distinction matters. One makes for good ragebait. The other tends to be ignored, because peeps generally have an aversion to math. Arguments favor emotions over logic, because people are emotional creatures. You bring up numbers, and peoples' eyes glaze over. Saying "we are paying Google $80M" or "data centers are taking our water and raising our utility bills" gets their proper attention. BTW, the tax breaks aren't $80M. That's just for the city rebate on property tax, spread over 28 years. The larger tax break is the state sales & use tax, which can amount to $20M/yr, is still in play, and presumably already granted given the go-ahead. If anyone wants the particular on Google's tax burden for this particular example in Hermantown, Minnesota, I invite you to query your online chatbot. The numbers may not be correct, but they should be in the ballpark. It's a fair chunk of change per year, in the tens of millions. If assuming a 20-year life span, then hundreds of millions. It's not (just) about jobs. Edit: Per Meta's Muse Spark, Total tax break requested: . City property tax: $80M nominal / $33.5M present value . State sales/use on IT: ~$400-700M over 20-35 years on our $2B build assumptions . State sales/use on electricity: ~$50M over 20 years if it had stayed exempt = ~$530M to $830M lifetime nominal — but only the $80M was ever in a city document. Total actually granted going forward after the withdrawal and the new state laws: . City property tax abatement: $0 . State sales/use on IT equipment: partial — likely the first tranche pre-July 2026 still exempt, all future refresh fully taxable . State sales/use on electricity: $0 . State annual fee owed by Google: ~$5M/year That's why the city could announce "Google will pay full taxes" and be technically true for property tax, while the much larger state exemption that dwarfs the $80M was quietly grandfathered and then repealed for everyone else next year. By posting a lot of words, one thinks that they support their position………. Reply
me-three R_O said: By posting a lot of words, one thinks that they support their position………. Yes, you've nailed it. Peeps have short attention span. It's not just numbers, but paragraphs more than two sentences long, with regular English words, will get people dozing off. Especially if they have numbers in them. Congrats on being in the majority. Reply
txfeinbergs me-three said: Yes, you've nailed it. Peeps have short attention span. It's not just numbers, but paragraphs more than two sentences long, with regular English words, will get people dozing off. Especially if they have numbers in them. Congrats on being in the majority. Wrong. By reducing taxes they would have paid, you are effectively letting them keep their money i.e. handing their money back that would have otherwise been due. Reply
DffrntDrmmr 🤖: 'Resistance is futile.' Reply
Key considerations
- Investor positioning can change fast
- Volatility remains possible near catalysts
- Macro rates and liquidity can dominate flows
Reference reading
- https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/data-centers/SPONSORED_LINK_URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/data-centers/google-data-center-wins-approval-in-minnesota-after-protests-delay-council-vote-twice-200-acre-project-moves-forward-despite-opposition-from-local-residents-tech-giant-scales-down-project-and-drops-usd80-million-tax-break-request#main
- https://www.tomshardware.com/membership
- Brazilian lawyers busted for attempting to manipulate court's AI with prompt injection hidden in filing
- Elon Musk says Neuralink's 'BlindSight' is ready to cure blindness
- Grab the award-winning Bambu Lab P1S 3D printer with AMS for $70 off
- Brazilian lawyers busted for attempting to manipulate court's AI with prompt injection hidden in filing
- 'Ghost Students' using AI to apply for student loans with stolen identities, DOJ's Operation Ghostbusters busts $200 million ring
Informational only. No financial advice. Do your own research.