$46 million tax break lands Apple, 50 full-time jobs

Gov. Bev Perdue announced today that Apple Computer will build a new facility in North Carolina. She made the announcement after signing legislation that gives Apple $46 million dollars in tax breaks. North Carolina Public Radio's Laura Leslie reports. Perdue says Apple has selected North Carolina as the location for a new billion-dollar data center. That's after the Legislature approved a change in the state's tax laws to benefit the company. Perdue signed the change into law this morning. It could be worth $46 million to Apple over the coming decade. To be eligible for the tax break, Apple will have to build the server farm in an economically disadvantaged county. The facility itself will only employ about 50 full-time workers, but proponents say contract work and the construction project could create hundreds more jobs. Apple is said to be considering Catawba and Cleveland Counties as potential sites.