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
Codes and Standards | Dec 10, 2019
Utilities rolling out more grid-interactive efficient building programs
Focus is on energy savings and demand flexibility.
Codes and Standards | Dec 9, 2019
Canada’s Zero Carbon Building Standard reports first 10 certifications
Projects include new and existing offices, schools, and warehouses.
Codes and Standards | Dec 6, 2019
New research examines flood mitigation policies in the U.S.
Thirteen states or cities have adopted effective measures; some restricting development in vulnerable areas.
Codes and Standards | Dec 5, 2019
USGBC unveils vision for LEED Positive
Roadmap will lay foundation for a future LEED that is regenerative.
Codes and Standards | Dec 5, 2019
Report shows reducing embodied carbon can save money and help mitigate climate change
Embodied carbon now accounts for 11% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Codes and Standards | Dec 5, 2019
Dubai, London and New York are 2019’s ‘Construction Mega Cities’
From 2007 to 2025, GlobalData expects the cities’ combined gross domestic product (GDP) to increase by more than US$8 trillion to US$20.4 trillion.
Codes and Standards | Dec 2, 2019
New GBCI certification recognizes expertise in sustainability
Provides third-party verification of competency to ‘making the world more economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable.’
Codes and Standards | Dec 2, 2019
New tool allows users to learn how to reduce embodied carbon
Calculator delivers first digitized EPDs.
Codes and Standards | Dec 2, 2019
Trade group challenges St. Petersburg, Fla., ordinance on construction contract mandates
Legality of requirement to hire apprentices, disadvantaged workers at issue.
Building Owners | Dec 2, 2019
What building owners and AEC teams need to know about New York’s Climate Mobilization Act
On April 18, 2019, the New York City Council passed the Climate Mobilization Act, a suite of laws aimed to meet the city’s commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.
