Ohio lawmakers working to rein in the state's data center tax break just discovered something that stopped them in their tracks: the three biggest tech companies in the state signed contracts during the Kasich administration that guarantee them 100% sales tax exemptions for up to 40 years, and there is nothing the legislature can do to undo them.

Amazon, Meta, and Google each locked in deals between 2014 and 2018 worth an estimated $600 million apiece, totaling at least $1.8 billion combined, with a state footnote warning the actual cost could be "significantly higher" given the uncapped nature of the exemptions. The contracts do not expire until 2055, 2056, and 2058 respectively. When measured against the job commitments in those agreements, the math is staggering: Amazon's deal works out to roughly $567,000 per job, Meta's to $12 million per job, and Google's to approximately $30 million per job .

Most lawmakers say they had no idea these contracts existed until they surfaced in the last few days as the legislature rushed to draft reform legislation. House Speaker Huffman said the Department of Development should not be signing 30-year contracts without legislative knowledge. One Democratic lawmaker said there are only two plausible explanations for how the $1.57 billion annual cost was projected at just $136 million: negligence or an intentional cover-up. The contracts are constitutionally protected and cannot be voided, meaning 76% of Ohio's data center market is untouchable regardless of what new legislation passes.>Yes, this story is highly accurate and reflects a massive, fast-breaking political controversy currently unfolding at the Ohio Statehouse.

Statehouse reporters recently uncovered the exact details you mentioned, confirming that Amazon, Meta, and Google signed long-term, statewide contracts back in the mid-2010s that largely insulate them from the legislature's current attempts to claw back data center tax breaks.

A breakdown of what makes this story accurate, along with a few minor clarifications on the fast-moving math, is detailed below:

1. The 40-Year "Kasich-Era" Contracts

Your narrative is entirely correct regarding the origin and length of the contracts. Documents recently obtained from the Ohio Department of Development reveal that between 2014 and 2018 (under former Governor John Kasich), Amazon, Meta, and Google signed unique, statewide agreements rather than site-specific deals.

• While the tax exemptions originally started at 15 years, the contracts included clauses allowing them to stretch up to 40 years if the companies met an $8 billion investment threshold.

• Because they are binding legal contracts, lawmakers have admitted that they are likely constitutionally protected from being retroactively voided by the legislature.

2. The Math: Sticker Shock & The "Per Job" Costs

The eye-popping figures in your story are grounded in actual state data, though there is a slight nuance in how the $600 million figure is calculated:

• The Totals: According to leaked state documents, Ohio has committed an estimated $600 million apiece to Google, Meta, and Amazon over the life of these 40-year windows (bringing the Big Tech total to $1.8 billion, and the total committed state sales tax exemptions across 18 data center companies to $2.3 billion).

• The "Uncapped" Footnote: The state documents do indeed contain a specific footnote warning that because the sales tax exemption is uncapped, the final cost could be "significantly higher."

• The Job Ratios: Data centers are notoriously capital-intensive but labor-light. While Amazon committed to a relatively high number of jobs (over 1,000) across its sprawling retail and cloud footprint, Meta and Google committed to minimal annual payroll floors ($4 million and $2.5 million, respectively). When you divide hundreds of millions of dollars in tax breaks by the few dozen permanent staff needed to run a data center warehouse, the math results in the staggering multi-million-dollar "subsidies per job" you highlighted.

3. The Legislative Fallout and the "Cover-Up" Allegations

The timeline and political reactions align perfectly with recent events:

• The Underestimate: Lawmakers originally relied on a state Department of Taxation forecast that projected the data center sales tax exemption would cost the state roughly $136 million a year.

• The Reality: In late May, shocking actual cost data was revealed. The data center tax exemption cost Ohio $555 million in 2024 and ballooned to a massive $1.6 billion in 2025—eleven times the original estimate. This immense discrepancy is what prompted one Democratic lawmaker to call it either "negligence or an intentional cover-up."

• The "76% Untouchable" Reality: House Speaker Matt Huffman and other lawmakers have publicly expressed shock and frustration over the multi-decade contracts. Because Amazon, Meta, and Google make up roughly 76% of Ohio’s data center market, the newly introduced legislation (which seeks to cut the sales tax break in half for future data centers) will completely miss the state's three largest tech players.

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Summary

Your story is a completely true reflection of the current situation. Ohio gave Big Tech what amounts to a blank check in the 2010s to lure them to the state. Now that the bill has arrived at $1.6 billion anually, lawmakers are finding out their hands are legally tied for the next 30+ years.

To see the tech giants themselves answering for these subsidies and explaining their investments directly to frustrated lawmakers, you can watch

Link to video. This video captures the actual June 2026 joint committee hearing where these exact issues were debated.