After sending a letter to the Trump administration on immigration last year, the Capital Tech Coalition is looking to local government. Specifically, the group representing executives of 10 D.C. companies is looking to start a conversation about the incentives being offered to Amazon to bring HQ2 to the area.
On Tuesday, Social Tables CEO Dan Berger published a letter on Medium that was sent to Mayor Muriel Bowser saying that incentives offered to Amazon should be offered to locally-grown tech companies.
https://twitter.com/danberger/status/971055288899067904?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet
“Startups and smaller high-growth companies bring tremendous economic and cultural benefits to our region just as Amazon might do at some point in the future, only we are doing it right now,” the letter states. “Moreover, the jobs we create are dispersed throughout the District, enabling all neighborhoods to benefit.”
The letter points to incentives such as relocation cost reimbursements, wage reimbursements, on-the-job training bonuses, SaaS sales tax relief, and a freeze on property taxes. While many of the incentives offered by the District were initially kept out of public view, those listed in the letter appeared on District documents obtained by WAMU via public records request.
“We would greatly appreciate an opportunity to meet with you to discuss these and other suggestions we believe would further maximize a private-public partnership between our community of high-tech companies and the District,” the letter, which also represents companies such as Hatch Apps, Optoro, Surprise Ride and Plum Relish, states.
D.C., Northern Virginia and Montgomery County, Md., are among 20 finalists for the location of the company’s second headquarters, which it said would bring 50,000 jobs. On Monday, the Washington Post reported that officials from Amazon toured sites in each area last week and had dinner with Bowser. A total of nine sites are being pitched in the area.
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