Google pledges full property taxes for new data-center campuses

Google has committed to paying full real property taxes—the taxes on buildings and land—at all its new data-center campuses, according to Associated Press reporting published by Fortune on October 22. Google’s own community-policy page also states the commitment.

The pledge follows growing resistance to the large facilities that house computer servers. Local opposition has blocked municipal permits and become a barrier to construction in the US, AP reports. That makes community acceptance a practical requirement for companies seeking to build.

What the tax pledge covers

Google’s commitment covers buildings and land at every new campus. It differs in scope from Microsoft’s offer, which AP describes as forgoing a couple of local tax breaks. Google’s stated commitment gives no projected tax total and does not identify which previous property-tax exemptions it would replace.

The property-tax pledge is separate from spending on community programs. Paying taxes on the campus’s land and buildings is not the same commitment as funding schools, training or other local initiatives.

Disclosure remains a point of dispute

Taxes are only one concern for host communities. AP reports that non-disclosure agreements have sometimes left residents knowing little about a project until it reaches a municipal board’s voting agenda. Google has stopped requiring government officials to sign non-disclosure agreements, AP reports. Google’s policy says it will disclose its involvement by the first application or first public meeting, whichever comes first.

Kathryn Hoffman, executive director of the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, told AP that she saw Google doing more public relations outreach but not more to disclose critical details of its plans. Her organization has sued over two prospective Google data centers.