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Foxconn wants to alter the Wisconsin deal

Foxconn wants to alter the Wisconsin deal

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Pray it doesn’t alter it any further

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A Foxconn “innovation center” in Wisconsin
Photo by Joshua Lott for The Verge

Even as Foxconn continues to promise Wisconsin that it will, in fact, bring jobs and an LCD plant to the state in exchange for an unprecedented $4 billion in tax breaks, it may be quietly attempting to renegotiate the deal.

According to a letter from Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers (via Wisconsin Public Radio and also confirmed by The Verge), Foxconn was actually the one to first propose changing the deal back in March, and the company is apparently planning to submit “the necessary documentation” to start that process in a mere matter of weeks.

“The State is identifying areas we believe will enable greater flexibility and transparency as the project continues to evolve.”

Six days ago, we learned that Governor Evers was having some doubts about whether Foxconn might be able to actually bring its promised 13,000 jobs to Wisconsin — doubts that we’d call pretty valid, given The Verge’s recent extensive reporting on the subject — but as late as this morning, it seemed like both Foxconn and Wisconsin were on the same page.

“Foxconn remains committed to our contract,” the company said on Friday as it recommitted to opening an LCD plant. “We have a solid contract,” Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) CEO Mark Hogan assured reporters earlier today, according to The Associated Press. Now, we wait and see whether Foxconn will officially scale this deal back, or whether it will attempt — once again — to pretend that empty buildings aren’t empty.

Foxconn didn’t respond to a request for comment, and Evers’ office didn’t offer further comment. You can read the full letter below: