JetBlue, which employs 800 people at its Queens headquarters, might move the facility out of state in two and a half years to escape New York’s high cost of doing business, the Daily News reports.The city is preparing a tax-break package to keep the airline here rather than see it go to Las Vegas, Orlando, or Salt Lake City, all cities it’s reportedly considering.
Last week, though, the state legislature gave JetBlue one more reason to leave, with a new tax for the MTA that will add $334 to every $100,000 in payroll. It adds up. (Even worse, the tax comes with no real fixes for the MTA’s labor costs.)
The city’s approach is all wrong. Sure, it might be able to retain JetBlue with a special tax package. But that just means other employers will pay for it, so the next JetBlue will set up shop somewhere else.
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