Dozens of opponents and supporters of Seattle’s proposed employee head tax gathered outside City Hall before a committee meeting Wednesday morning.
The meeting is one of the last chances the public will have to voice their opinions on the proposed tax. Some of those gathered held signs reading “Tax Amazon, fund housing services,” and “Don’t vote our jobs away.”
The Seattle City Council says the head tax will mainly apply to businesses making over $20 million per year – about three percent in Seattle. Those businesses would pay 26 cents per hour, per employee working in the city. Seventy-five percent of the $75 million raised would go toward building affordable housing, with most of the remaining funds aimed at helping the homeless.
Over 100 Seattle-area businesses leaders wrote a letter warning the city council that the proposed tax was a ‘misguided’ plan.
“We oppose this approach, because of the message it sends to every business: if you are investing in growth, if you create too many jobs in Seattle, you will be punished,” the letter read.
Supporters of the proposed tax say big businesses need to help pay for the affordable housing problem.
“I think that growth should pay for growth. We have a Growth Management Act in Washington state, and it requires that in addition to allowing for growth, the consequences for growth would be compensated for. Such as, if you need more affordable housing, it will be provided,” Dennis, a supporter of the proposed head tax, said. “The state has been miserably unsuccessful in enforcing that, or they just don’t care. So, we have to find some way to fund affordable housing. People are dying on the street.”
“I think our goal here today, and for the next week or so, is we got to come to a win, win,” Jimmy Hawn, an opponent of the proposed tax with the Northwest Carpenters Union, said.
“It is a small fraction of profits they are making, and stand to make in the future, to pay this head tax,” Dennis said.
Amendments to the proposed head tax including banning funding from the tax to be used for unauthorized homeless camp sweeps.
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan commented on the head tax Wednesday, saying business needs to be a part of the solution, but the current proposal isn't perfect.
"What we have on the table now doesn’t meet the requirements I have as mayor, and that is very clear," Durkan said at a news conference.
Durkan said her office has received over 1,000 emails over the last few days alone on the tax.
Previous stories:
