
The Early Word: xAI may get lower tax bill; Houston High is stuck in the ’90s
Good morning. It’s Tuesday, April 15 — Tax Day — but the IRS announced an extension for the entire state of Tennessee because of that wild weather we had in early April. But if you haven’t filed yet and have a relatively uncomplicated tax situation, the IRS’ free Direct File service is available for Tennesseans.
If you want to make your taxes more complicated next year follow your dreams, the Medical District Collaborative is hosting a free class tonight on how to start your own food truck. You could also just let someone else do the cooking, and head to Felicia Suzanne’s, which reopens today after a three-year hiatus.
And finally, the most important thing happening today (taxes, shmaxes) is the Memphis Grizzlies Western Conference play-in game against the Golden State Warriors. It starts late, so if you need to get to bed, you can catch the highlights here in the morning.
Elon Musk’s xAI could pay more than $30 million in Memphis and Shelby County property taxes, based on projected tax rates. But the AI company is only being taxed on $2.2 billion in investments, rather than the $12 billion the Greater Memphis Chamber has touted. That’s because local tax officials helped xAI with some workarounds to lower its tax bill, a practice that sounds shady but is apparently fairly common. The Daily Memphian’s Samuel Hardiman explains.
Germantown’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen got an earful on Monday about the cities’ failure to fund most of the needed improvements at Houston High School. The Germantown Municipal School District is asking the city for $100 million over multiple years to update the school that one parent said “is nearly the exact same Houston of 1996.” The city is only offering $8 million in its six-year capital improvement plan. As of now, young thespians are using a stairwell as a dressing room, and an art class is taught from a closet.
Plus, charges were dropped for a codefendant in a Rhodes student’s killing, the AG’s office goes after a Memphis charity and all the Grizzlies have to do is win.
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Bianca Phillips
Bianca Phillips is a Northeast Arkansas native and longtime Memphian who’s worked in local journalism and PR for more than 20 years. In her days as a reporter, she covered everything from local government and crime to LGBTQ issues and the arts. She’s the author of “Cookin Crunk: Eatin’ Vegan in the Dirty South,” a cookbook of vegan Southern recipes.
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