McCain Foods gets maximum tax incentive for $200 million Burley expansion

McCain Foods USA will receive Idaho’s maximum state Tax Reimbursement Incentive for a proposed $200 million expansion of its frozen French fries production facility in Burley that will add about 180 new jobs. McCain is only the second company to receive the maximum amount from the TRI program.

The expansion was announced May 3 in a joint release from McCain Foods, the Idaho Department of Commerce and the city of Burley.

Commerce awarded McCain a 30 percent tax credit on the company’s income, payroll and sales taxes for 15 years. The incentive is estimated at $5.86 million in tax savings for McCain, for which the state anticipates $35.3 million in new total state revenue.

Both the percentage and length are the maximum amounts available from the TRI program. Albertsons is the only other company receiving the 30 percent/15 years among the 36 companies that have been awarded TRI since the program’s launch in July 2014, according to Commerce statistics.

McCain, a Canadian company with headquarters in Lisle, Ill., has about 750 employees in Burley, said Doug Manning, economic development director at the city of Burley.

The expansion will add a third production line, which had initially been planned in 2013 but was delayed, Manning said.

McCain will start construction in May with the expanded production expected to start in late summer 2018, according to the news release.