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How incentives vary by location: the value is in what you can use

Manufacturing incentives are often compared as though every grant, tax credit, loan and infrastructure promise were interchangeable. They are not. Scout Motors’ South Carolina package shows that public infrastructure can solve risks that cash cannot. Micron’s Gujarat package shows how direct strategic support can be substantial but still depend on approved spending and milestones. Lucid’s Saudi package demonstrates that financing and demand commitments can matter more than a tax holiday. The practical comparison is the Five-Gate Usability Test: identify the form of support, the approval gate, the timing, the company’s ability to use it and the obligations required to keep it.