INVESTIGATIVE REPORT — APRIL 2026

Your Tax Bill vs. Theirs: How Utah Has Quietly Handed Billions to Big Business

A complete investigation of Utah’s chrony capitalism problem and corporate tax subsidy system based entirely on public records.

Introduction

The median Utah household pays roughly $4,400 in state income taxes annually. No exemptions. No rebates. No negotiation. Meanwhile, the state recently signed a massive contract handing 50 cents of every new tax dollar generated by Creekstone Energy back to Creekstone for the next 20 years. Two sports billionaires collected hundreds of millions of dollars through city sales taxes. Meta’s (Meta owns Facebook and Instagram) data center netted them over $750 million in property tax and even more in an undisclosed sales tax exemption on all equipment, potentially worth over $1 Billion in total free money from the state of Utah. Goldman Sachs filed 559 H-1B visa applications while collecting EDTIF credits. All of this is public record and almost none of it is reported. This report documents it all.

FY2026 budget: $30.8B | State-funded: $12.7B | Median household income: $96,658 | Median family state income tax: ~$4,400/yr | Known corporate subsidy exposure: $3.5+ billion

Chart 1: Corporate Subsidies vs. Annual Public Service Spending

Chart 2: Utah’s $30.8B Budget vs. Corporate Subsidies

SECTION 1: HOW THE PROGRAMS WORK

Chart 3: SB 114 — The Data Center Sales Tax Exemption Explained

The Utah Data Center Sales Tax Exemption (Undisclosed Amounts)

THE HIDDEN SUBSIDY

This Utah tax subsidy is never publicly disclosed in dollar terms. Utah is one of 12 “dark” states — states that fail to disclose even aggregate revenue losses from data center tax exemptions. Because server farms are extremely capital intensive and require replacement of servers every two to five years, these exemptions are lucrative for companies and costly for states and localities. Good Jobs First This means Meta, Amazon, and any other data center operator in Utah receives ongoing, undisclosed sales tax exemptions on all their server equipment — potentially worth hundreds of millions over time — with zero public reporting requirement. Utah offers a sales and use tax exemption for qualifying data centers (minimum 150,000 sq. ft.) on machinery, equipment, and maintenance parts. To say the least, major corporations have heard the news and are lining up to take advantage of this massive tax break that is unavailable for smaller businesses.

Chart 4: EDTIF Accountability — What’s Required vs. What’s Missing

EDTIF (Urban, up to 30%): Post-performance credit; 5-20 yrs; min 50 jobs at 110% county wage; no Utah residency requirement; no H-1B disclosure. REDTIF (Rural, up to 50%): Higher rate for rural counties; fewer restrictions; Creekstone $172M = record. SB 114 (2020): 150,000+ sq ft = 100% exempt on ALL equipment; no job requirement; value never disclosed. Utah = 1 of 4 states with no tax expenditure report; 1 of 12 hiding data center exemption values.

SECTION 2: TECH, DATA CENTERS & SEMICONDUCTORS

Meta (owns Facebook and Instagram) received $750 million, which is already likely an undercount, and it applies only to one company’s property tax breaks at one location. When you layer on:

The undisclosed and uncapped sales tax exemptions on all server equipment purchases
The ongoing equipment replacement cycles every 2–5 years
The expansion of the campus well beyond the original projection
Google now building next door with the same incentive structure
Tract preparing 668 acres for additional hyperscalers to follow

…what you are looking at is potentially billions of dollars in cumulative, largely hidden tax subsidies flowing to some of the wealthiest corporations on earth — at a time when Utah’s regular taxpayers are paying their income taxes this week.

Good Jobs First, a nonprofit that tracks corporate subsidies, has stated bluntly: “We know of no other form of state spending that is so out of control. Such subsidies are absolutely unnecessary for an extremely profitable industry dominated by some of the most valuable corporations on earth, such as Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, Meta, and Alphabet.” Good Jobs First

Chart 5: Utah’s Complete Data Center Ecosystem — All 62 Facilities, 26 Providers

Full Data Center Operator Table:

Operator	Location	Type	Size / Capacity	Key Facts & Subsidies
Meta Platforms	Eagle Mountain	Hyperscale	4.5M sq ft / 650+ MW	$1.5B invested; $750M+ property tax abated (40 yr); 100% SB 114 sales tax exempt; 5+ buildings; $200M est. add’l exemption over 40 yrs
Creekstone Energy	Delta (Millard Co.)	AI/Hyperscale (planned)	20M sq ft / 10,000 MW	$17B planned; $172M REDTIF; 106 jobs; BluSky AI (50 MW) first tenant; Phase 1: 300+ MW by H1 2027; no evaporative cooling
NSA / Intelligence Community	Bluffdale (Camp Williams)	Federal Government	1-1.5M sq ft / classified	$1.5B federal cost (2014); exabyte-scale storage; no state tax breaks (federal facility); anchors Bluffdale data corridor
Google / Alphabet	Eagle Mountain	Hyperscale (planned)	668+ acres acquired	$1.2B campus planned; top H-1B sponsor nationally; incentive negotiations ongoing as of 2026
Aligned Data Centers	West Jordan	Wholesale/Colocation	55-acre campus; SLC-01 to SLC-04; 34-80 MW	Utah’s largest hyperscale; SLC-03 = 80 MW (largest in Utah per Baxtel)
DataBank	Bluffdale	Enterprise Colocation	Granite Point Campus (SLC2, SLC4, SLC5)	Most popular facility in Utah (Baxtel); private power substation; HPC-capable; adjacent to NSA
QTS Data Centers	Eagle Mountain	Wholesale/Colocation	QTS I & II; “Project Sequoia” = 179K sq ft	Growing Eagle Mountain campus; advanced energy efficiency
Flexential	West Jordan / SLC	Colocation	450,000 sq ft total (5 facilities)	South Valley + Cottonwood campuses; carrier-neutral; redundant power
Oracle	Salt Lake City	Enterprise	N/A	EDTIF recipient ($17.9M; 2 deals, 75-100% complete); 35 Utah H-1B LCAs FY2025
eBay	Salt Lake City	Enterprise (single-tenant)	N/A	EDTIF recipient ($65.5M; 2 deals); Utah data center pioneer; cited in early SLC area industry coverage
Twitter/X, PayPal	SLC area	Enterprise	N/A	Cited in SLC corridor data center cluster; Bluffdale campus shared with Oracle, PureStore
EdgeConneX / Verizon	Salt Lake City	Edge/Advanced Carrier	N/A	Carrier-grade advanced data center; “Edge Data Center — Space, Power & Connectivity”
DataBank / C7 / Syptec	Bluffdale	Colocation	Granite Point I & II	Tier 4 campus; 14926 Pony Express Rd; NSA-adjacent corridor; co-located with Oracle, PayPal
Total Utah data center market (Baxtel, 2025): 62 facilities • 26 providers • 747 MW • 7,674,795 sq ft. Source: baxtel.com/data-center/utah

Eagle Mountain — The Data Center Capital of Utah

Eagle Mountain is rapidly becoming one of the most concentrated tech campus zones in the western U.S. Here’s who is there or coming:

Meta (Facebook/Instagram) — Already operating Meta already has five buildings constructed at Eagle Mountain comprising 2.4 million square feet, with a Phase 3 expansion adding another 2 million square feet and bringing total capital investment to $1.5 billion. KSL Meta’s 2024 market cap: over $1.4 trillion.

Google — Land purchased, building underway Google has purchased two parcels totaling more than 668 acres in Eagle Mountain, with one parcel being the 225-acre Pony Express Technology Park, and a planned 1.2 billion dollar data center on 300 acres. Dgtl Infra Google (Alphabet) 2024 market cap: over $2 trillion.

QTS Data Centers — Announced QTS has announced it will enter the Salt Lake market in Eagle Mountain, joining Meta and Google. Daily Herald QTS is owned by Blackstone, one of the world’s largest asset managers.

Tract — 668 acres acquired, up to $7 billion in potential investment Tract acquired more than 668 acres in Eagle Mountain, explicitly citing “Utah’s data center sales tax exemption and low power rates” as key reasons for selecting the location, with a potential investment identified as up to $7 billion on the Economic Development Corporation of Utah’s website. Tract

Chart 6: Meta’s Total Utah Subsidy Stack

Chart 7: State Tax Credit Per Promised Job

Meta: $750M+ property tax abatement + 100% SB 114 sales tax exemption on 4.5M sq ft = $950M+ total. Creekstone: $172M REDTIF for 106 jobs ($1,623,000/job — record). TI: $38.2M EDTIF + $1.6B CHIPS Act; laid off Lehi workers 3 months after funding; H-1B for same location; 937 national H-1B approvals since 2020. Google: 668+ acres; $1.2B planned. NSA Bluffdale: $1.5B federal cost; no state breaks. Oracle: $17.9M. eBay: $65.5M. Utah: 62 facilities, 747 MW, 7.6M sq ft — SB 114 value UNDISCLOSED.

SECTION 3: FINANCE, DEFENSE & SOFTWARE

Chart 8: Full GOEO Database — All Major Recipients Ranked by Credit

Complete GOEO Database (Major Recipients):

Company	Year	Prog	Max Credit	Jobs	Cap. Investment	Term	Status
Creekstone Energy	2026	REDTIF	$172,190,593	106	$17.08 billion	20 yrs	Unissued
WGU (nonprofit)	2026	EDTIF	~$137.5M	5,072	$2.5 billion	20 yrs	Unissued
Northrop Grumman	2024	EDTIF	$106,916,188	1,206	$958M	20 yrs	Active
Procter & Gamble	2007	EDTIF	$85,000,000	1,185	$540M	20 yrs	Active
Northrop Grumman	2020	EDTIF	$59,919,439	2,250	$380M	20 yrs	Active (0-25%)
Goldman Sachs	2009	EDTIF	$47,283,409	690	$51M	30 yrs	Active (50-75%)
Solar City	2015	EDTIF	$44,852,933	4,000	$94M	10-15 yrs	Active (0-25%)
Adobe	2010	EDTIF	$40,239,126	927	$298M	20 yrs	Active (25-50%)
Utah Energy LLC (Proj 1)	2025	REDTIF	$80,981,805	200	$1.64 billion	20 yrs	Unissued
Texas Instruments	2023	EDTIF	$38,192,648	800	$11 billion	20 yrs	Active
eBay	2011	EDTIF	$38,156,092	2,200	$80M	20 yrs	Active (0-25%)
Malouf	2021	EDTIF	$56,033,994	4,200	$450M	20 yrs	Active (0-25%)
Qualtrics	2019	EDTIF	$32,782,835	2,245	$45M	10 yrs	Active (0-25%)
eBay	2008	EDTIF	$27,277,736	50	$436M	10 yrs	Active (0-25%)
Adobe	2017	EDTIF	$25,751,258	1,260	$90M	20 yrs	Active (0-25%)
Goldman Sachs	2014	EDTIF	$13,057,377	350	$40M	20 yrs	Active (50-75%)
Stryker Corp.	2025	EDTIF	$13,808,385	862	$616M	20 yrs	Unissued
Oracle (2008)	2008	EDTIF	$15,124,000	100	$260M	12 yrs	Active
Morgan Stanley	2022	EDTIF	$6,540,083	800	$1M	10 yrs	Active (0-25%)
Amazon	2017	EDTIF	$5,680,707	130	$200M	8 yrs	Active (0-25%)
Amazon Web Services	2019	EDTIF	$2,499,519	300	$25.4M	10 yrs	Unissued
Oracle (2014)	2014	EDTIF	$2,829,602	351	$6.1M	10 yrs	Complete (75-100%)
Workday	2012	EDTIF	$8,370,052	500	$20M	15 yrs	Active (25-50%)
P&G	2023	EDTIF	$10,422,492	100	$400M	20 yrs	Unissued
P&G	2020	EDTIF	$4,191,954	221	$310M	20 yrs	Active (0-25%)
Snap Inc.	2017	EDTIF	$2,537,030	50	$1.8M	15 yrs	Active (0-25%)
Disney Interactive	2008	EDTIF	$5,250,000	565	$15.1M	10 yrs	N/A
SoFi Technologies	2016	EDTIF	$1,155,615	400	$8M	5 yrs	Complete (75-100%)
SoFi Technologies	2025	EDTIF	$3,613,841	410	$3M	10 yrs	Unissued
Full database: 200+ companies since 2005 at business.utah.gov/recruitment/companies

Chart 9: Top H-1B LCA Filers in Utah — FY2025

Chart 10: Goldman Sachs — Jobs Promised vs. H-1B Activity

Goldman Sachs: $60.4M EDTIF; 1,040 jobs; 559 Utah H-1B LCAs FY2025 (54% of promised job count in one year); 932 workers at SLC worksite since 2017. Northrop Grumman: $166.8M (2 deals); 3,456 jobs. P&G: $107M+ (4 deals; 2007 deal = $85M alone). WGU (nonprofit): $137.5M. Adobe: $65M; Lehi = 6th-largest Adobe H-1B worksite. Qualtrics: $32.8M (Ryan Smith also got $900M sports subsidy). Amazon/AWS: $8.2M; #1 H-1B sponsor nationally.

SECTION 4: SPORTS, REAL ESTATE & OLYMPICS

Chart 11: $1.8 Billion in Utah Sports Subsidies

Chart 12: Real Estate Tax Programs — Annual Value to Investors

SEG/Delta Center: $900M via 0.5% SLC sales tax (Jan 2025). LHM/MLB Fairpark: $900M via 1.5% car rental tax; collecting since July 2024 before Utah has MLB. LIHTC: Up to 70% of project cost; benefit flows to institutional investors. Opportunity Zones: 46 in Utah; zero capital gains after 10 years; made permanent 2025; avg investor income $4.9M. TIF: 90+ CRAs; 20-25 yr property tax diversion. STACKING: One developer can simultaneously access LIHTC + state LIHTC + OZ cap gains elimination + TIF + bonus depreciation + NMTC.

SECTION 5: H-1B VISAS & THE RESIDENCY BLIND SPOT

Who Actually Gets the Jobs? H-1B Visas, Foreign Workers & the “Utah Residents” Blind Spot

Utah’s corporate tax incentive programs are sold to the public on a single promise: jobs for Utahns. Every EDTIF and REDTIF contract specifies a number of “new, high-paying jobs” as the quid pro quo for the tax credit. But there is a significant gap in the system — one the state has never closed. There is no requirement that the jobs created go to Utah residents, or even to U.S. citizens. Companies receiving hundreds of millions in state tax subsidies are simultaneously filing hundreds of Labor Condition Applications to hire foreign workers through the H-1B, H-1B1, and E-3 visa programs.

⚠ The state’s EDTIF/REDTIF contracts count any new job paying 110% of the county average wage — regardless of whether that job goes to a Utah resident, a U.S. citizen, or a foreign national on a temporary work visa. There is no “Utah resident” requirement anywhere in the statute.

How the visa programs work: The H-1B is the primary U.S. work visa for “specialty occupation” foreign workers, capped at 85,000 new visas nationally per year (with additional unlimited visas for universities and nonprofits). Employers must file a Labor Condition Application (LCA) with the U.S. Department of Labor confirming they will pay at least the prevailing wage. The H-1B1 is a variant available to workers from Chile and Singapore under free trade agreements, and the E-3 applies to Australian nationals. All three are commonly used in tech, finance, and engineering — exactly the sectors Utah’s incentive programs target. LCA filings are public record.

Chart 13: EDTIF Job Promises vs. H-1B Applications — Key Companies

Chart 14: Accountability Measures — What’s Required vs. Missing

EDTIF/REDTIF: No Utah residency requirement. No U.S. citizenship preference. No H-1B disclosure mandate. No clawback for visa workers. TI case: $1.65B in subsidies; laid off Utah workers; H-1B for same Lehi location. Goldman: 559 Utah H-1B LCAs FY2025 = 54% of promised jobs in one year. Small businesses: cannot access EDTIF (50-job minimum); $4K-$10K per H-1B petition; must hire locally; pay full rates.

SECTION 6: YOUR TAX BILL VS. THEIRS

Chart 15: Median Family Annual Taxes vs. Corporate Annual Benefits

Chart 16: Effective Tax Rates by Category

Chart 17: Each Subsidy in Equivalent Utah Family Tax Bills

Chart 18: Cumulative Corporate Subsidies vs. Annual Public Service Spending

FY2026 budget: $30.8B. Median family state+local tax: ~$9,800/yr. Annual affordable housing budget ($17M) < Goldman EDTIF ($60.4M). Sports subsidies ($1.8B) = 36 years of homeless services. Data center exemption: UNDISCLOSED. Utah = 1 of 4 states with no tax expenditure report.

Small businesses pay full rates. Families pay full rates. The system was designed this way, updated repeatedly by the Legislature, and operates largely in the dark. This is a choice — made by elected officials — on behalf of constituents who mostly don’t know it exists.

COMPLETE SOURCES & REFERENCES — ALL SECTIONS

All data from publicly available government databases, regulatory filings, and news reporting. Links verified April 2026.

• Utah GOEO Incented Companies Database

• Utah GOEO Business Recruitment Program

• Utah GOEO Tax Credits Newsroom

• Creekstone REDTIF Award – GOEO

• WGU EDTIF Award – GOEO

• Good Jobs First – Utah

• Good Jobs First – Data Centers Report

• ITEP Utah Tax Burden – Who Pays 7th Edition

• Utah FY2026 Budget – Utah Legislature

• Meta $750M Tax Abatement – Deseret News