‘Blinded by dollar signs’: Independence wrestles with 90% tax abatement for massive AI data center

The city of Independence, Missouri is considering offering a 90% tax abatement over 20 years to Nebius, a Netherlands-based tech company, for a massive $150.6 billion data center project. While proponents argue the project will bring significant revenue and jobs, many residents are concerned about the scale of the tax break to a large corporation. The city council is expected to vote on the issue on March 2, and if approved, a local resident group plans to launch a referendum petition to force a public vote. The debate highlights the national tension over providing tax incentives to data center developments.