Business briefs: Idaho tax panel questions Amy’s Kitchen breaks
POCATELLO, Idaho – The Idaho Tax Commission is investigating tax incentives Bannock County granted to organic frozen food maker Amy’s Kitchen while wooing the company to open a plant in southeastern Idaho last year.
The Idaho State Journal reported that members of the state and county tax commissions, the mayors of Pocatello and Chubbuck and legal staff from both the county and state met at the county courthouse Tuesday regarding the tax abatement granted to Amy’s Kitchen.
A county spokesman said an agreement was reached and details will be finalized by next week.
Amy’s Kitchen is a privately-held, family-run company that makes organic products such as frozen entrees, pizza, burritos, soups, cookies and candy bars.
Amy’s Kitchen is receiving a tax credit of 26 percent for 15 years for opening a production facility under Idaho’s Tax Reimbursement Incentive plan.
Volkswagen recalls 420,000 vehicles
NEW YORK – Volkswagen is recalling 420,000 vehicles in the U.S. because of a problem that can prevent front air bags from deploying in a crash.
The recall is for eight models, including the Jetta, Passat and Tiguan, with model years between 2010 and 2014. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Friday that debris can rip a cable that keeps the front air bag powered, which could lead to a failure to deploy. There were nine complaints from customers, the NHTSA said. No accidents have been reported.
Volkswagen said it is still developing a fix for the problem and will notify owners when it does.
Source: Apple looking at automotive test site
SAN FRANCISCO – Adding fuel to rumors that Apple is working on designs for a car, local officials say engineers for the giant tech company recently made inquiries about a former U.S. Navy base that’s been converted into a testing ground for self-driving cars and other cutting-edge vehicles.
Apple, which is best known for making iPhones and Mac computers, hasn’t said what kind of testing it hoped to conduct at the GoMentum Station automotive testing facility, which used to be a naval station in the San Francisco Bay Area city of Concord.
“We don’t know. They haven’t said what they want to test. It could be an iPhone,” joked Jack Hall, program manager for connected vehicles and autonomous vehicles at GoMentum Station, which is operated by the Contra Costa Transportation Authority.
The 5,000-acre site has 20 miles of paved roads, including overpasses, tunnels and railroad crossings, according to the agency’s website, which calls it “the largest secure test facility in the world.”
U.S. eases ban; allows oil exports to Mexico
EDGARTOWN, Mass. – The U.S. is easing its long-standing ban on crude oil exports by allowing limited trade with Mexico.
That’s according to a senior Obama administration official who wasn’t authorized to comment by name and requested anonymity.
Mexico’s state-run oil company Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex, has sought to import about 100,000 barrels of light U.S. crude a day. Last year it proposed a deal in which the U.S. would trade the light crude for heavier Mexican crude.
The official says the Commerce Department is approving some license applications for the exchange of similar amount of U.S. and Mexican crude.