Nevada’s economy has been hammered by the COVID-19 pandemic, which virtually eliminated tourism and gaming revenues. Despite the fiscal crisis faced by the state, its elected officials recently announced a $25 million subsidy for a Google data center. The CEA’s John Mozena challenged this decision in the Las Vegas Review-Journal:
It doesn’t make sense for Nevadans to be subsidizing Google — or any other company — right now. These deals come with price tags attached, and governments pay for targeted economic development subsidies to private companies through a combination of cuts to public services and increased tax bills for everyone else. Meanwhile, Nevada’s finances are already in such trouble that state legislators and the governor had to cut deeply into education, health care and public safety funding this year.