Late last week, Elon Musk said the opposition to data centers would be temporary because communities will soon realize they bring prosperity and economic development.
It’s true https://t.co/lJGZiiy7Em
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 6, 2026
"The lack of popularity is where there aren't data centers and they think the data center will have a bad effect," Musk said. "But in Memphis, you know, Memphis is booming because of SpaceX. The restaurants are full, the hotels are full, we're paying at times twice the prevailing wage that people were earning before."
"We've also helped out with local schools and, you know, and the tax revenue that the county and city are earning is tremendous," Musk continued. "So, I think this maybe this popularity thing is a temporary concern because there actually is tremendous prosperity that is brought by the data centers."
Memphis Mayor Paul Young confirmed these statements, too.
Memphis Mayor Paul Young confirming @elonmusk’s statement that Memphis is booming because of the data centers:
— Katie Miller (@KatieMiller) November 10, 2026
“This year was $54 million in taxes generated. Last year about $25 million — it was the second-largest taxpaying property in Shelby County.” https://t.co/WMGUvhie8c pic.twitter.com/dilmPRORGu
"We've talked a lot about the financial aspects of the project," Young said. "I think that as we talk about data centers in our city, we want to talk about it in a balanced way. Of course there's an economic side; we want to make sure we are articulating what protections and guardrails we're putting in place for the environmental side. People are concerned about the quality of life, noise, traffic, all of those aspects."
"But there is tax revenue. I think this year was $54 million in taxes that have been generated and I know last year, when they generated about $25 million in tax revenue, it was the second largest tax paying property in Shelby County," he continued. "It is significant taxes and so as we look at the tax revenue, we also want to look at how do we ensure that there are proper protections."
Data Centers are going to happen, either we lead or China leads.
— Musings of a nobody (@MusingofaNobody) November 10, 2026
Yes. And there are some Democrats who want China to lead.
Did anyone know Elon Musk is perhaps the largest taxpayer in the City of Memphis? $54 million this year. https://t.co/e88PLCibv8
— Patrick Parsons (@realPParsons) November 10, 2026
But the Democrats have assured us he doesn't pay his fair share.
Even chowderhead liberals understand the boom in tax revenues offered by data centers.
— sg (@latteconsrtve) November 10, 2026
It's going to be fun to watch its love of collecting taxes clash with their hatred of data centers.
Agree. The AI data centers will become an absolute necessity for local governments as a way to fund their budgets without having to hugely increase taxes on homeowners — the working class — in the future. Just a matter of time. https://t.co/SiiDNovir0
— Mark R. Levin (@marklevinshow) November 10, 2026
But crippling homeowners and the working class with taxes is the goal here.
Keep this in mind when a Maryland activist bragged about stopping a data center project slated for the site where a mall closed 24 years ago. Who needed jobs and tax revenue in Prince George's County after all?
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