County Tax Break For Cirrus

DULUTH, MINN. – Commissioners in St. Louis County at Duluth, Minnesota, agreed to resume an annual $27,770 tax rebate for Cirrus Aircraft through 2017, providing the company keeps at least 300 jobs at the Duluth aircraft manufacturing facility. Cirrus will continue to pay its full property taxes amounting to approximately $277,000, however. The 10% property tax rebate began in 2008, but Cirrus fell short of its employment guarantee, so there was no rebate in 2009 or 2010. Cirrus had promised to add 220 jobs after its expansion and employ 930 people in Duluth as part of the 2007 agreement. Instead, Cirrus laid off hundreds of employees as a result of the recession. Cirrus sold 716 planes in 2006, compared with only 264 in 2010. Today, there are approximately 400 employees at the plant.