Source: Amazon
Amazon’s CEO Bezos comes out in support of national infrastructure bill
Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon.com, supports spending big on infrastructure, even if that means his company is required to pay more in taxes to get it done.
“We recognize this investment will require concessions from all sides — both on the specifics of what’s included as well as how it gets paid for (we’re supportive of a rise in the corporate tax rate),” said Mr. Bezos in a statement. “We look forward to Congress and the Administration coming together to find the right, balanced solution that maintains or enhances U.S. competitiveness.”
Mr. Biden’s American Rescue Plan is being pitched by members of his cabinet, including Pete Buttigieg, Secretary of Transportation. In testimony before Congress last month, Mr. Buttigieg said the nation faces a $1 trillion backlog on repairs and improvements, even with “hundreds of billions of dollars in good projects already in the pipeline.”
Sec. Buttigieg likened the need for a massive project to the creation of the interstate highway system under President Eisenhower and the transcontinental railroad the century before.
“We see other countries pulling ahead of us, with consequences for strategic and economic competition,” he testified. “By some measures, China spends more on infrastructure every year than the U.S. and Europe combined. The infrastructure status quo is a threat to our collective future.”
Critics of Mr. Biden’s plan typically agree there is a need for increased spending on infrastructure but question its priorities and the strategy of raising corporate taxes.
The National Retail Federation (NRF) believes returning tax rates to the same levels as under the Obama administration, as proposed by Mr. Biden, will reduce investment and hiring.
Skeptics point out that supporters of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed by Republicans said it would increase investment, create jobs and significantly raise the wages of American workers. The NRF was among those claiming that higher rates were costing the average worker as much as $4,690 a year. Many corporations used the windfall in the 2017 legislation for stock buy-backs, with a comparatively small amount going to workers.
President Biden has expressed a willingness to work out the details of the plan with Democrats and Republicans as long as negotiations are not used as a delaying tactic. Some legislators, such as Sen. Joe Manchin (D – WV), have suggested that an increase, albeit smaller than proposed, would be a middle ground that he and others could agree on.
- A Message From Jeff Bezos – Amazon.com, Inc.
- Testimony of Pete Buttigieg, Secretary of Transportation Before the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure – U.S. Department of Transportation
- NRF Urges Administration to Prioritize Infrastructure Investment in President’s $2T Proposal – National Retail Federation
- Corporate taxes cost American workers more than $4,000 in lower wages – National Retail Federation
BrainTrust
Dick Seesel
Principal, Retailing In Focus LLC
David Biernbaum
Founder & President, David Biernbaum & Associates LLC
Joe Skorupa
Influencer, Consultant and Strategic Advisor
Discussion Questions
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Are you surprised by Jeff Bezos’ qualified endorsement of the outlines of the American Rescue Plan? What do you see as the most needed infrastructure improvements with regard to the retailing industry and its suppliers and what, if anything, should retailers be willing to do (or pay) to support passage and implementation?
Let’s remember that Bezos owns the Washington Post, so no I’m not surprised that he’s supportive of a Democratic plan. America does need upgrades to its infrastructure, but I’m not sure there’s anything specific to retailing — better roads, airports, an electrical system and lead-free pipes for water will all make things better, and that’s good for everyone. I do find it ironic that Bezos is such a strong Democrat, except when it comes to his own employees.
I think the broadband initiative could be interesting for retail – giving more people fast internet speeds might help them to access more goods and services online. However I’m not quite sure that the federal government is the best vehicle to achieve this. And should we be looking at fixed broadband rather than achieving more widespread coverage of the 5G network?
I’m not surprised that Bezos would support the infrastructure bill. Our roads are crumbling along with our bridges. Amazon needs to use those roads and bridges to deliver product. And yes, he should pay more. A good deal more. As to other retailers chipping in their fair share, they use the roads and bridges as well.
This is yet another complex matter that both political camps try to express in simple terms that express their view. One camp says, we need it, let’s do it. The other camp says, any increases in the corporate tax rate will be passed onto the consumer and consumers will ultimately pat the tax increase.
The country needs to upgrade its infrastructure. (I would love to see trains go everywhere.) The improvements will create jobs of the type that are needed the most: middle and lower income. What we also need is a restructuring of the tax loopholes so those who earn, pay — period.
The U.S. has the lowest corporate and personal tax rates of any advanced country. And as a country we have shown the results, not only in infrastructure, but also in education and healthcare. The greatest economic boom the country had experienced was when the top personal rate was 90 percent on income over about $45,000. That is about $400,000 today.
The way an economy works is pretty simple. The government primes the pump with big projects. Those big projects hire people. Those people spend money. Those big projects hire companies to provide equipment and materials. Those companies hire people. Those people spend money.
Companies are not charities. They do not hire people if there is no demand. The highest income earners don’t spend their tax breaks, they don’t generate jobs or demand.
Once the U.S. led the world in infrastructure, education, healthcare, power grid. The U.S. needs a big kick in broadband availability and technology. Now the U.S. ranks very poorly when compared to other advanced, and in some cases not so advanced, countries.
Any retailer who does not support this plan because of tax increases doesn’t want to grow their top line.
Amazon stands to benefit from the new infrastructure as much if not more than any company in the U.S. Bezos sees the economic fallout from the blockage of the Suez Canal and wants to prevent similar disruptions in our own ability to distribute products across the nation. We are still living off of the economic progress made possible by infrastructure built by Franklin Roosevelt’s Works Project in the 1930s. The last report I read showed we have over 230,000 U.S. bridges that are in need of major repair or replacement. This should have started a decade ago.
I think I would give a lot more credit to Interstate Highways of the Eisenhower (and subsequent) administration(s), than the New Deal. If your business is dependent on a post office or airport built in 1935, it’s probably not long for the world.
Whether you describe infrastructure as “roads and bridges,” or whether you include broadband in the definition, improvements are long overdue. Anybody who has been involved in building projects, or has observed local governments debating if and when to improve streets and highways, understands that “kicking the can down the road” costs more in the long run. And more widespread broadband could carry the same benefits as “rural electrification” nearly a century ago.
Certainly a company like Amazon, in the business of delivering physical goods and virtual services to people, sees the merit in investment spending despite the likelihood that its own taxes will rise. At this point, most Americans surveyed seem to get the rationale regardless of party.
This is a smart move by Mr. Bezos, who has carved out an outsize presence here in DC with the purchase of the Washington Post, the siting of Amazon’s second headquarters, and the purchase of a former museum as his home. He has now staked a claim as an influencer.
It is good to see Amazon supporting infrastructure improvements, but also remember the company had an effective tax rate of just under 12 percent in 2020 and 17 percent in 2019, well below industry averages. So supporting a tax increase is fine, but may have a greater impact on other retailers who have fewer ways to use the tax code to their advantage. Infrastructure improvements should translate to supply chain efficiencies for many companies over time as well.
I’ll leave the Bezos question to others, but having clients in the rail industry, I’m very well aware of the need for both track and crossing improvements. Without upgrades, there will be more frequent congestion and derailment issues causing a slowdown of the supply chain and we’ll continue to see more train-truck collisions.
In addition to rail, many of the small- and mid-sized ports need investment to transfer goods more efficiently to distributors and ultimately to the consumer. This is especially true for inland ports, which have close proximity to rail, highways and industrial parks, and provide speed to market for most retail goods.
Love him or hate him, you have to admit that Mr. Bezos is no dummy. He has to come out in support of the infrastructure proposal – his company depends on that infrastructure. It’s an investment in his own future success.
Do we need to improve infrastructure? Yes, we do. Absolutely. Do I think the bill – if passed – would accomplish that goal? No, not necessarily. And that’s the issue I have with raising taxes. If it was a certainty that they would be put to good use then, while I’d dislike the idea on principle, I’d be more receptive to it. The problem is, I think a lot of the money will be spent ineffectively.
The cost of maintaining and building highways has ballooned over the past 10 years, with no real economic justification. Projects have become mired in a sea of federal regulations. And funds are frequently misdirected into projects that, ultimately, have little value or purpose because there isn’t enough rigor in looking at return on investment.
I’d be far happier to see the private sector and states encouraged and incentivized to make more investments and for the federal government to get out of the way.
One of the other posters mentioned the difficulties in getting local projects completed. In principle I understand your point, but do you think that individual members of the private sector would be willing to finance investments that do not directly affect them in a positive way? Would they even agree on where the investments should be made?
What would states have to raise in taxes to approach anything on the scale of investment needed to address problems this big? Wouldn’t states with large rural populations, for example, already have taken steps to concretely improve broadband access? Wouldn’t Texas and other states already have put regulations in place to make utility providers bury lines deep enough under ground that millions would be left without power during a cold snap?
Good points George. Privatization isn’t always the answer — it hasn’t worked well for the prison system either.
Nor higher education.
But why is it difficult to get local projects completed? Part of the answer is because the federal government slows everything down.
On the slowness point, any project funded by or associated with the federal government must jump through far more hoops and adhere to far more regulations than if it was done locally. An environmental impact study for a federal highway project is now in excess of 6.6 years compared to 2.2 years in the 1970s. You can bet your bottom dollar that China isn’t taking almost seven years to do studies before building infrastructure! And no, we should not be like China and ride roughshod over the environment, but neither should our policy be so burdensome as to take that length of time.
The federal government getting involved also acts as a disincentive for states or private firms to participate.
The former because if they can get federal funding (which takes ages to materialize) why would they spend local tax dollars? Just look at the case study of the Brent Spence Bridge across the Ohio River which should have been replaced in 2006. Rather than using tolling to raise the funds and get the job done, local government has been holding out for federal funding, which has meant that, today, replacement on the old bridge hasn’t even begun!
On private firms, investment does not flow because government can finance cheaper and has regulatory authority. An airport like Heathrow in the U.K. is privately owned and operated and it has been invested in far more than an airport like JFK which is run by a government agency. Not everything should be private, but there is certainly much more scope for private involvement in infrastructure.
I am not saying that there is no role for the federal government. However the idea that the federal government is the savior when it comes to infrastructure is a fiction. Tax money should be spent wisely and well. And the fact is, it won’t be without some reform and creativity in how the government operates. I’d like to see that first before we start raising taxes.
(With apologies for length!)
My experience, which goes back many years covering local planning boards among other things, is that localities and counties are much more likely to get hung up on the dollars they are receiving from state or federal sources than regulations. The next biggest holdup is usually related to private developers.
There’s no doubt that much more emphasis needs to be placed on streamlining processes and removing duplication of efforts when it comes to internal rules. Much of that comes down to a federal system where the House and Senate pass legislation, but leave it up to agencies to develop the rules.
Laws, as the name makes clear, involve legaleze. It will require a huge effort (that always means money) by the government to optimize its workings. Whether Democrats or Republicans have the will or attention spans to address that is a completely different discussion.
I don’t disagree. Unfortunately, until and unless the government puts in some effort to become more efficient we won’t get bang for our buck! And, like you, I am not holding my breath on that!
The problem with entities getting involved in infrastructure is ROI. Private companies need a reasonable time frame for the return on investment. Governments do not. Rural electrification in the 1930s is a perfect example. Private companies electrified cities, but found no ROI in electrifying rural areas. In the early 1930s only about 20% of Americans had electricity. The government had to step in and get it done.
In today’s experience, private monopoly providers Comcast and Spectrum are doing the least amount possible to upgrade last-mile digital distribution while continually raising rates and imposing data caps. Wireless 5G is nice, but there’s nothing better than a fat fiber-optic pipe, and without government mandates (or just doing the job themselves), we keep falling farther and farther behind Asia and Europe.
Yep. There is no incentive for private companies to move the country ahead.
Our need for expanded and accelerated infrastructure spending is painfully obvious. And Amazon was under pressure to pay more taxes before it became part of this new conversation. So I don’t see it as a big leap for Bezos to support it. Amazon was going to be paying higher taxes anyway, one way or the other. Even with that said, I am sure the administration welcomes the support of such a high profile citizen.
Jeff Bezos is reading the tea leaves of how the consumer narrative has changed recently. He doesn’t want normal consumers to think of Amazon as big, bad, ugly and win at all costs type of enterprise but a socially conscious new age tech company. Amazon has been heading in the wrong direction in terms of perception with their historically low taxes, supply chain improvements at the cost of employee privacy and health and most importantly the unionization in Alabama. In Bezos’ eyes, support for tax increases is perhaps just good for Amazon’s business.
Not surprised at all. Jeff Bezos has a big-picture design-build vision that extends decades into the future. He knows that only a unified, integrated approach will keep America competitive on a global scale.
For omnichannel success, essential improvements include a national strategy for tech and physical infrastructure.
Communication infrastructure priorities include online access for every company for supply chain efficiency and every home to reduce the digital divide. Innovations like mobile pay, 5G, IoT and blockchain will also enrich and streamline retail processes.
Meanwhile, physical investments in freeways, roads and airports will make shipping and e-commerce deliveries more efficient.
All retail companies and consumers will benefit from these infrastructure investments. Amazon is showing leadership by being open to contributing to make U.S. retail competitive and agile for the long term.
There’s nothing surprising about Bezos’ endorsement of the American Rescue Plan. Amazon’s present and future prospects are dependent on being able to access a modern, functioning, infrastructure. How could he be against it? There really are two badly needed infrastructure improvements. The first is that our roads and bridges need to be brought up to something like acceptable standards. The second is technological, universal installation of fiber optic and 5G cabling and networks giving everyone in America — especially rural and lower income America — access to the internet and high speed communication. As to cost, it’s a little like the dentist — pay him or her now or pay him or her more later. One way or the other we are all going to have to pay.
…and when we talk about 5G, let’s talk about the real 5G, not the marketing 5G that is something short of what other countries have. Or maybe we should just skip it and work on 6G as other countries are doing.
I don’t find it difficult to believe Bezos supports the plan. His trucks are on roads in record numbers and good roads make those deliveries easier. Infrastructure IS the kind of work government should do — to support the economy and our society.
I am also encouraged because it has felt, especially on the infrastructure questions, that we are finally emerging from 40 years of a scarcity mentality in the U.S. Anyone in business should know that when a company retreats into a scarcity mentality they have lost the battle and failure is only a matter of time. Constant refrains of “we can’t afford…” are deadly to morale and to competitive action.
My one point of skepticism is that Mr. Bezos might find it pretty easy to support a federal tax rate increase for corporations given that his company pays so few taxes today that the rates could double and it won’t be a major bottom line hit to Amazon.
Not surprised at all. Jeff Bezos has a big-picture design-build vision that extends decades into the future. He knows that only a unified, integrated approach will keep America competitive on a global scale.
For omnichannel success, essential improvements include a national strategy for tech and physical infrastructure.
Communication infrastructure priorities include online access for every company for supply chain efficiency and every home to reduce the digital divide. Innovations like mobile pay, 5G, IoT and blockchain will also enrich and streamline retail processes.
Meanwhile, physical investments in freeways, roads and airports will make shipping and e-commerce deliveries more efficient.
All retail companies and consumers will benefit from these infrastructure investments. Amazon is showing leadership by being open to contributing to make U.S. retail competitive and agile for the long term.
Not surprised at all that Jeff Bezos thinks infrastructure is important. The first speech I saw him make back in the early 2000s was mostly about building a strong nationwide network of DCs and logistics networks. This was at a time when the rest of the industry was buzzing about jumping into e-commerce, which mostly meant fine-tuning websites and mastering online marketing/merchandising. Bezos was many years ahead of the curve by plotting a multi-year investment in supply chain infrastructure, which has helped make Amazon the dominant force it is today. Infrastructure investments in roads, trains and broadband, among many others, will help improve the business-of-business in retail.
It’s hard to argue against the need for infrastructure improvements, for retail and otherwise, however, the current proposal is 70 percent non-infrastructure related. If politicians are sincere about infrastructure, the pork needs to be removed, and the proposal needs to be 100 percent related to infrastructure.
I’m not surprised. Amazon is a PR machine that needs to divert attention from its gaffs last week and union vote this week.
Absolutely. The Amazon PR magician act … When they point us to the handkerchief in the hand, we should be looking everywhere else to see what’s really going on. Prestidigitation as PR.
Am I surprised that someone who sells things over the internet and then delivers them over public highways would support increasing spending on broadband and roads? Or that he would support paying for that with increased corp taxes … of which his company seems to pay very little? Now THERE’S a tough question!
All proposals — at least all complex ones — are a mixture of good ideas and bad, hopefully we’ll end up with more of the former than the latter.
Infrastructure bills have been getting proposed for years without a whole lot of actual infrastructure happening. This “infrastructure” bill, stretches the old line definition of infrastructure for sure. But the reality is we should have had a real infrastructure bill years ago that addressed the roads, highways, bridges, broadband, etc.
This bill touches on those things, but most of the funds are going to other things. Who even knows what?
I think it is just more political games to make the two parties in power look like they are fighting with each other so they can continue to pivot people against each other.
Would be nice for them to actually get something done for the benefit of the country.
“We’re supportive of a rise in the corporate tax rate” implies that Amazon will pay more taxes, but reports are that they have paid none and sought a $129 million refund for 2018. Likely many other years are quite similar.
For a soundbite culture, o’l Jeff sounds magnanimous. Let’s see what really happens….
As far as Amazon goes, sure Bezos will come out and say he supports this. Then they will stay close to the bill throughout the lobbying process to “monitor” it and provide their feedback throughout the process.
Meanwhile once the actual bill they lobby heavily during the process for gets passed, a large team of lawyers and tax professionals will find the loopholes in the bill and make any structural changes necessary to Amazon so Amazon does not have to pay increased taxes.
Maybe we need to develop some kind of system that transports packages automatically from point A to point B- not road or rail. Maybe it runs alongside (or above) rail lines. Sounds like great infrastructure to help Amazon, stop burning fossil fuels on the road or rail to transport Amazon packages, etc.
But we can’t develop much of anything anymore. All we can do is argue. Imagine if back in the day, the US politicians who made the interstate highway system happen had been like the politicians of today who just argue and pivot people against each other. Where would we be without those interstate highways? We need politicians who actually want to work to make improvements, and spend money on actual improvements, not bait each other about meaningless social issues and argue all the time without getting anything done. No wonder we keep losing track.
The business community broadly, and the retail industry specifically, will benefit from these investments that increase American competitiveness in the global marketplace. Infrastructure such as roads, bridges, etc. are drivers of economic activity, and expanded broadband access and investment in schools help to prepare the future of our workforce. Retailers should benefit, and be willing to pay for, these enablers of economic growth that will benefit our industry … and our nation … for years to come.