Report: Fulton development authority approves $10.1 million tax break for X

Caption

The logo of social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

The Development Authority of Fulton County (DAFC) approved a $10.1 million tax break for a data center expansion by social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the DAFC board voted 6-2 to approve the tax break for X, which is owned by Elon Musk. That means the data center will receive a reduced tax bill for locating its artificial intelligence equipment at the Qualified Technology Services center off Jefferson Street. 

The AJC reports that the project will not create any new jobs, but it will retain 24 existing employees. X had threatened to move the project to Portland, Oregon, if Fulton denied the tax break. 

Nine Fulton residents opposed the tax break on the grounds of financial concerns and the county’s partnering with X, which has seen an increase in hate speech since Musk took over the company in 2022. 

“Gifting public money to a purveyor of hate speech is not simply wasting money as many of these deals tend to do,” Jim Martin, chairman of Neighborhood Planning Unit D, said during the Jan. 23 meeting. “It also sends a message to the world that Atlanta is no longer a city too busy to hate.”

The AJC said X’s investment is estimated at $700 million, but most of that equipment is already in Fulton. 

DAFC board member Mike Looney said that attracting cutting-edge technology to Atlanta will pay off long-term.

“This region is becoming a technology corridor,” he said. “So I think having another major player, such as X, in the marketplace will create a ripple effect for the broader economy.”

This story comes to GPB through a reporting partnership with Rough Draft Atlanta.