Yes it is sop. That doesn't make it a good things. People in the UK are very angry at Google's seeming ability to negotiate a tax deal. Google is today denying any such negotiation. But Tesla seems proud of their ability to negotiate special deals with local governments.

It won't help that Tesla's boss could write a check for this amount, perhaps 10x this amount. So this isn't a liquidity issue. The business can be financed with or without this deal. And Tesla claims profitability regardless. They only want this money because they want the money.