Travis County Gives Final Approval to Tax Incentives for Apple Expansion in Austin - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Travis County Gives Final Approval to Tax Incentives for Apple Expansion in Austin

by

The Travis County Commissioners Court has just given official approval for a package of tax incentives designed to secure Apple's commitment to expand its Austin, Texas campus and add over 3,600 new jobs at the site. The approval comes after development officials expressed concern last week that the deal was "in peril" as concerns over loopholes in the contract delayed approval by the county.

apple austin campus
Apple's campus in Austin, Texas (Source: Flickr/The Pug Father)

Prior to today's meeting of the Commissioners Court, the Austin American-Statesman reported on some of the tweaks to the contract, including language requiring Apple to pay the lowest-salaried 10% of its new employees at the site an average of $35,000 per year. Contractors, which may comprise up to 25% of the new hires, will be paid a minimum of $11 per hour.

Apple governmental affairs representative Jason Lundgaard was on hand for the session and answered several questions for the county commissioners.

Travis County is the final governmental entity to approve its portion of the total tax incentive plan, which is estimated to yield $35-36 million for Apple in exchange for adding the jobs and facilities. The State of Texas and the City of Austin previously approved their pieces of the deal.

Popular Stories

Apple Card iPhone 16 Pro Feature

Apple Card Promo to Offer Free AirPods Pro 3

Friday May 15, 2026 8:59 am PDT by
Starting as early as next week, customers who sign up for an Apple Card at Apple's retail stores in the U.S. will receive $249 cash back when they purchase AirPods Pro 3, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The promotion has yet to be officially announced by Apple, so exact terms and conditions are not available at this time. AirPods Pro 3 are priced at $249 in the U.S., so customers who...
Read Full Article • 46 comments
Apple WWDC25 iOS 26 CarPlay Light mode 250609

Six Popular iPhone Apps Now Available on CarPlay

Thursday May 14, 2026 9:10 am PDT by
Apple's CarPlay system for accessing iPhone apps on a vehicle's dashboard screen has received six popular apps in recent weeks: ChatGPT, Perplexity, Grok, Google Meet, WhatsApp, and the indie artist streaming platform Audiomack. Make sure you have the latest version of each app and they will automatically appear on CarPlay. ChatGPT Starting with iOS 26.4, CarPlay supports voice-based...
Read Full Article • 29 comments
ipad mini 7 blue

OLED iPad Mini: Release Date, Pricing, and What to Expect

Thursday May 14, 2026 5:08 am PDT by
According to the latest rumors, Apple is close to launching its next-generation iPad mini. So what should we expect from the successor to the iPad mini 7 that Apple released over a year ago? Read on to find out. Processor and Performance Apple is working on a next-generation version of the iPad mini (codename J510/J511) that features the A19 Pro chip, according to information found in code...
Read Full Article • 87 comments

Top Rated Comments

Mattie Num Nums Avatar
Mattie Num Nums
183 months ago
11 bucks an hour. People at In n Out flipping burgers start at 10.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rjohnstone Avatar
rjohnstone
183 months ago
Apple got a sweet deal out of that one.
$35 million in tax breaks for creating low level tech jobs.
It will take decades for the City/County/State to break even on the deal.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
d4rkc4sm Avatar
d4rkc4sm
183 months ago
new mac pros today?
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Y
you people smh
183 months ago
Whew!!!

Glad they got that figured out. I was worried that apple might not be able to survive without the $35 million government subsidy.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rocketman Avatar
Rocketman
183 months ago
Obviously mister Forbes is very concerned that people may demand that he and those like him paid more in taxes.
You are simply wrong. The Forbes flat tax plan and even the Ryan budget already passed in the house, reduces marginal rates but substantially reduces deductions. That increases the net cash payments of the very richest (top 20% not merely top 1%), and provides more net revenue to the government which is mandated to be applied to deficits and debt, not new spending.

The political debate is (D) higher taxes on the rich AND more debt and deficits, vs. (R) higher taxes on the rich with lower marginal rates to spur growth AND less debt and deficits.

The advantage to less debt and deficits is less money flowing to government bonds and more flowing to commercial bonds which is the exact source of employment and growth and wage increases. It really is that simple!

It is this exact cause that we are seeing lower wages, employment, and growth. The government sucking all the cash out of the bond market. A really big and hurtful sucking sound to real people. Side effect? Currency debasement and zero or less rate of return on savings. High gas and grocery prices.

This is real stuff.

Rocketman
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Stella Avatar
Stella
183 months ago
Apple shouldn't require tax incentives.. they have enough money without leaching off tax payers.

BTW - it isn't being anti apple, its being realistic.. they have more money than god at the moment. They don't need incentives, just use their own hoard of money.

Average pay of $35,000? Low paying jobs.. sure it'll help the local economy. But ultimately, its like Apple ( or any other company ) have the attitude that they are doing the local area a favour by creating new jobs.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments