Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka (R-Nisswa) released the following statement:

“When companies like Amazon look to expand, they often conclude that Minnesota’s taxes and regulations will make it difficult for them to compete in the marketplace. While our state has a lot to offer, we unfortunately also have some of the highest taxes and regulations on businesses. Our corporate taxes, income taxes, and business property taxes are some of the highest in the country. This failure to attract up to 50,000 new Amazon jobs to Minnesota should be a wake-up call. We need to make changes to our tax code to help individuals keep more of their hard-earned money and attract new jobs, or risk losing out to other states.”

Deputy Majority Leader Senator Jeremy Miller (R-Winona), chair of the Senate Jobs and Economic Growth Committee, released the following statement:

“This was a missed opportunity both for Minnesota and for Amazon. Our great state has a lot to offer – like a tremendous, dedicated, creative workforce and an incredible pool of next generation leaders courtesy of our fantastic higher education institutions. It is disappointing Minnesota is missing out on the billions of dollars of investment and the tens of thousands of jobs that Amazon would have brought, but we will not let it slow down our booming economy. I will continue to focus on helping make Minnesota a more competitive state for businesses of all sizes, so our workforce can grow and prosper. If an opportunity like this arises again in the future, it is my hope that members of the legislature can be more involved in the process.”