The construction of Apple’s new $5 billion campus in Cupertino, Calif., has raised tensions over whether the company and other large employers should pay more in taxes to local communities to help offset their impact on local infrastructure.
Many people in Cupertino have begun to organize and focus on Silicon Valley’s aging transportation networks. Frustrated by traffic and noise, some residents want to stop further development. Traffic woes have been occasionally worsened by temporary road closures related to Apple’s new headquarters construction.
Apple paid $9.2 million in taxes to Cupertino from 2012 to 2013, according to a report in the Guardian. In the 2012 fiscal year, Apple tallied $156.5 billion in sales. The city gives Apple an annual tax break on business-to-business sales that started in 1997, when Apple was on the verge of collapse, the Guardian reported.
Cupertino Mayor Barry Chang, who has butted heads with Apple over the issue, says the high-tech giant should pay more taxes to the city, but doesn’t want to see limits on new development for fear that they could harm the regional economy.
Related Stories
| Nov 26, 2012
How to boost resilient systems that are sustainable
Cities of the future can be both more resilient and more sustainable by promoting strategies that include solar power and green roofs, programs that minimize demand for energy, rain gardens, and permeable pavement.
| Nov 26, 2012
Developer of nation’s first LEED platinum skyscraper focuses on carbon reduction
The Durst Organization, the developer of the first LEED platinum certified skyscraper in the country, says it will not seek LEED certification for its residential pyramid planned for New York’s West 57th Street.
| Nov 26, 2012
Questions linger over ability of Miami's newer high-rises to withstand hurricanes
Some towers in Miami, rebuilt after a hurricane in 2005, were allowed to be constructed under older building codes instead of newer ones created after Hurricane Wilma.
| Nov 26, 2012
Changes in development and building standards needed for health of Potomac River
The Potomac River’s health stands to suffer if the region does not change its development and building standards, according to the Potomac Conservancy.
| Nov 16, 2012
South Dakota prefers LEED over building code on state projects
“(LEED is) much better than a mandatory building code because you get a little wiggle room in these projects,” said Mike Mueller, a spokesman for the South Dakota Bureau of Administration.
| Nov 16, 2012
AAMA publishes quality assurance guidelines for Polyamide Thermal Barriers
The American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA) has published QAG-2-12, Voluntary Quality Assurance Processing Guide for Polyamide Thermal Barriers.
| Nov 16, 2012
New ANSI/BIFMA standards developed for educational seating
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has approved the newly developed safety and performance standard for educational seating: ANSI/BIFMA X6.1-2012—the first of its kind.
