Seattle council passes jumpstart tax on large employers

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/seattle-city-council-passes-new-jumpstart-tax-on-high-salaries-paid-by-big-businesses

by gavin_gee • 6 years ago

3 9 6 years ago

seattletimes.com

gavin_gee3• 6 years ago

I'm not going to comment on the pro's and con's of this tax, but rather want to discuss the implications. With COVID forcing many employers and employees to prove out the model of remote working, isn't the net of this tax going to accelerate employees to move from Seattle, leaving the city worse off without the reinvestment of their salaries back into the local communities, effectively creating a modern day Detroit with the "wealth donut" spreading out and away from the center of the city?

pinewurst3• 6 years ago

As a Seattle resident, I’m not convinced that the council doesn’t want that outcome in their revolutionary hearts. An angry underclass is already their power base.

gavin_gee3• 6 years ago

It does seem that the divide is growing between two fundamental groups in Seattle. Unfortunately one group is mobile and the other not so much.

posguy2• 6 years ago

Mountlake Terrace (10.5% sales tax), Edmonds (10.4% sales tax), Lynnwood (head tax[1]), Bellevue and other cities that are on the periphery of Seattle have equal or higher taxes.

Seattle had a head tax up until 2008, if a minor increase in tax like this is going to stop hiring of employees, then our zone based business commuter tax scheme would have already been that death knell [2]

1 - https://www.washingtonpolicy.org/publications/detail/city-of...

2 - https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/transportation/metro/employ...

pinewurst3• 6 years ago

(Edited to reflect the response's article link)

One can hardly compare a $93-$105 per employee head tax to a much higher income tax.

Seattle council passes jumpstart tax on large employers

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