Is Amazon's HQ2 Deal Good For New York? [POLL]

Amazon — the mega-online retailer — chose two cities in which it will build additional headquarters: the Crystal City neighborhood in Arlington, Virginia, and Long Island City in Queens. Amazon had originally been going to name one location in which 50,000 jobs would be created.

Well, Amazon changed its retailing mind and will split the number of jobs in half between the two locations.

Jeff Bezos, Amazon's founder and CEO, said in a statement that the two locations would allow the company to attract world-class talent.

"We look forward to becoming an even bigger part of these communities," he said.

For the Virginia location, Amazon said it would invest $2.5 billion, bringing high-paying jobs to the area and occupying 4 million square feet of office space over the next 12 years.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said, in an op-ed published by Patch, that Amazon is committing to an annual payroll of more than $3.75 billion annually within 10 years; 25,000 to 40,000 direct jobs paying average of more than $150,000 annually and 1,300 construction jobs on average each year during the 15-year construction period.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is all for the deal, saying it was "a great day for New York City" and "an extraordinary day for Queens," according to businessinsider.com.

However, Senator Kirstin Gillibrand, D-NY, and Democratic Congresswoman-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are not on board, saying the money could best be spent elsewhere.

Ocasio-Cortez said that Amazon is a billion-dollar company and "the idea that it will receive hundreds of millions of dollars in tax breaks at a time when our subway is crumbling … is extremely concerning to residents here," the New York Post reported.

Cuomo countered critics by saying that neither the state nor the city is giving Amazon anything.

He explained that, by current tax structures, Amazon would generate about $1 billion per year in new revenue.

"Our proposal offered that, when and if those revenues are realized, the government would effectively reduce their $1 billion payment by about $100 million for a net to New York of approximately $900 million," Cuomo said in his op-ed.

He further explained that offering tax incentives is nothing new.

"Every state offers incentives to attract businesses and we are in a constant competition with other states and nations to attract and keep good businesses," Cuomo said.

As examples, he cited Wisconsin luring Foxconn, Texas luring Exxon Mobil and Louisiana attracting DXC Technology with incentive packages of up to $3 billion.

So, it's time for you to weigh in on the issue. Do you think that it's a good idea for Cuomo and New York to have offered Amazon tax incentives to build a new headquarters in Queens? Vote in our highly unscientific poll and explain why in the comments below.

Photo credit: David Ryder/Getty Images.