Tax incentives in Washington

Select one of the top 5 recipients of tax incentives in Washington:

  • Boeing,
  • Microsoft,
  • University of Washington,
  • Amazon, or
  • Google.

After you’ve selected a company to analyze, find
-at least 5 sources of information
-at least 3 of the 5 sources must be published in the past 3 years (2019-today)
-at least 2 of the 5 sources must be published more than 4+ years ago (2018 or earlier)
-representing at least 3 different perspectives that provide updates, analysis, and insights into the current status of tax incentives for this company.
The articles must address tax incentives and related topics (for example, companies receive many benefits beyond tax breaks, such as other infrastructures, supports, and rewards for doing business).

Remember that there is a huge amount of information about these companies. Don’t get off-track by choosing articles that talk about the company generally. This assignment asks you to focus on information about tax incentives and special benefits received by the company, especially as it relates to Washington state.

Your five sources of information must come from different publications/origins, e.g., you cannot use five articles from the Seattle Times, or 5 websites from Washington state, etc.
Aim for a variety of publications and sources. A solid annotated bibliography would include some local/national news sources, some websites, some government publications, some economics organizations, and so on.

Need help getting started or accessing articles?
Try using a variety of search words (re-read these instructions for ideas about how to describe your company and the preferential treatment it receives).
Use more than just Google. While Google is helpful, some information is not available publicly on the Internet. Use the subscriptions and resources available from the Pierce College Library. Librarians can help you use the library’s subscriptions to access newspapers, magazines, and more.
What to Submit (Annotated Bibliography + Summary)

An annotated bibliography of at least five sources, written in APA format.
Your annotation for each source should be 1-2 paragraphs and should include:
A summary of the source. What did you learn from reading this piece?
An evaluation of the credibility and perspective of this information source.
What kind of source is it (a newspaper article, website, government publication, blog, etc.)?
Where was this information published and why?
Who wrote it and why?
What perspective does it represent?
AND

A 1-page summary that addresses the following prompts:
Which sources were argued with facts and reasons? Give examples of the facts/reasons used in the source(s).
Which sources were argued with emotion and opinion? Give examples of the emotions/opinions used in the source(s).
Economics touches every aspect of human existence; therefore it is inherently emotional. Where in your sources do you see the distinction between positions based on emotional reaction and positions that are emotional, but based on facts?
If this tax incentive for this company came before a vote in the Washington state legislature, how would you want your representative to vote (to continue the incentive, or to stop it, or something else?)? Why would you want them to vote that way?