The director of the Iowa Department of Economic Development is subtly asking lawmakers to help "Google" before they go. Last week, legislators disclosed that a "web portal company" like Google is considering Iowa as the location for a facility. Iowa Department of Economic Development director Mike Tramontina won’t confirm that Google is the company, but he’s urging legislators to pass a package of tax incentives for a "web portal company" before they adjourn for the year.
"That web portal bill is potentially huge," Tramontina says. On Friday, the House voted 95 to one to provide a tax exemption on equipment and electricity for web portal firms. Tramontina is hoping for quick action in the Iowa Senate. He says targeting computer companies for state incentives makes sense because they’re "huge, non-polluting industries" that offer high wages.
"With the community colleges and universities, we produce tons of IT workforce," Tramontina says, "We need to have places for them to work here." Tramontina made his comments on Iowa Public Radio.