Canton Nissan Plant to Keep State Incentives

CANTON, Miss. - The state auditor's office says the Nissan plant in Mississippi has met the employment goals it needed to keep its state incentives.

Under an agreement with the state, the auto manufacturer was supposed to have at least 3,000 people employed in the Canton plant by Dec. 31, 2007, and Dec. 31, 2008.

The auditor's office said Wednesday that it verified the plant had 5,502 employees for 2007 and 3,371 for 2008.

Officials say the figures were checked using information provided by Nissan, the Mississippi Development Authority and the Mississippi State Tax Commission, now known as the Department of Revenue.

Mississippi provided about $300 million in incentives to lure Nissan in 2000. The plant opened in 2003.