Taiwan's Foxconn to lower employment goal in Wisconsin under new deal

根據新協議，台灣富士康下調威斯康星州的就業目標

Taiwanese tech giant expected to hire 1,454 people by 2026 to qualify for $80 million in state tax credits


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Foxconn will be eligible for just US$80 million in state tax credits under a new contract signed Tuesday (April 20) for its planned investment in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, down from the US$$2.85 billion it could have received under the original deal.

The company announced Monday that it has agreed to scale back its manufacturing project near the city of Racine without providing details. Its vice chairman, Jay Lee (李傑), said the decision would give the company more flexibility to pursue business opportunities that meet market demand.

After the new contract was approved by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. (WEDC) on Tuesday, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers said in a statement that Foxconn will qualify for US$80 million in state tax credits if it manages to invest US$676 million and employ 1,454 people with an average wage of US$53,875 by 2026. The contract will remain effective for six years and allow the state to recover 100 percent of incentives paid each year in the event of a default, he explained.

Under the original deal signed in 2017, the company would have received US$2.85 billion in state tax credits if it invested US$10 billion and created 13,000 jobs over 15 years.

WEDC Secretary Missy Hughes said the new contract will treat Foxconn like any other business and save US$2.77 billion for taxpayers. She said right-sizing the project will put the state in a position where "all businesses have the resources they need to grow and prosper."

Since 2017, Foxconn has invested approximately US$900 million in its Wisconsin developments, according to the company. It has built or is close to completing a 1 million-square-foot advanced manufacturing facility, a 300,000-square-foot smart manufacturing center, a 120,000-square-foot multipurpose building, and a 100-foot-tall High Performance Computing Data Center globe.