The Raleigh News & Observer reports today that the state legislature is very close to offering Apple Computer the right incentives to open an East Coast operations hub in North Carolina. The bill, which has passed the senate and is one vote short in the house at this time, offers a generous tax structure intended to compete strongly with Virginia, also a candidate for Apple’s business.

According to the N&O report, the company’s hub would serve as a data center, where services such as the iTunes music store and the iPhone application store would be based. When it opens, about 50 Apple employees will man the site, along with an estimated 250 contractors. The N&O adds that, “The facility could grow to employ more as its mission expands.”

Proponents of the incentives bill are willing to extend the tax deal to Apple because it is a major company, and they see the seeds of long term growth for the company and ongoing benefits to the North Carolina economy. However, some oppose the plan, concerned that many businesses already operating here lack the advantages the state’s economic development programs provide to newcomers. In this case, the language in the bill applies the new tax structure to Apple alone, a benefit not broadly enough scoped for some lawmakers and business leaders.

House minority leader Rep.Skip Stam wonders if the incentives factor into Apple’s decision at all, as North Carolina is already regarded as one of the most desirable locations in the country for high tech super-companies. The biggest names in computers, energy, pharmaceuticals and biotech call North Carolina home, and include IBM, Progress Energy, Duke Energy and GlaxoSmithKline to name a few. Four major universities also contribute to the state’s brain trust and work force, with N.C. State University in Raleigh, The University of North Carolina based at Chapel Hill, Duke University in Durham, and Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem.

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