A majority of voters in New York City approve of Amazon locating an office in Long Island City in Queens, but are split over the $3 billion in tax incentives in exchange for 25,000 jobs, a Quinnipiac poll released on Wednesday found.
The poll found voters approved of the Amazon move 57 percent to 26 percent, with a similar margin of Queens voters, 60 percent to 26 percent, supporting the decision.
But the $3 billion in tax breaks linked to the creation of tens of thousands of jobs over a 15-year period is being received with less enthusiasm: 46 percent approve of the incentives, 44 percent do not. But Queens voters, 55 percent to 39 percent, approve of the incentive package.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo has pushed back against the criticism of the tax incentive package, saying Amazon would have taken its headquarters elsewhere and to other states that had offered similar, if not larger, proposals.
Cuomo has received mixed support for his handling of the Amazon deal, with 34 percent approving and 38 percent disapproving.
Most voters, 31 percent, say the biggest issue for Amazon in Queens is housing, with 25 percent concerned about transit and 20 percent worried about the quality of life.
The poll of 1,075 New York City voters was conducted from Nov. 27 to Dec. 4 and has a margin of error of 3.8 percentage points.
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