"No Tax on Jobs"---Seattle businesses strike back against head tax (Redmond: low income)

[starbound]

While shopping at Trader Joe's in Ballard yesterday I noticed there were canvassers out collecting signatures to put the head tax on the November ballot. Seems like a good idea to let the voters decide...what do you think?

Seattle businesses strike back against head tax with campaign for referendum

The effort by employers to undo the city’s newly passed business tax opens a new phase in the contentious battle over Seattle’s response to the homelessness crisis. Deadline for 17,632 signatures is June 15.

By Benjamin Romano
Seattle Times business reporter

A coalition of businesses formally began a campaign Friday to overturn Seattle’s just-passed head tax through a citizen referendum, opening a new phase in the city’s contentious debate about the homelessness crisis and what to do about it.

“We have until June 15 to gather 17,632 good signatures to send this to the ballot in November to give Seattle a referendum on this issue and, I think even more so, on the Seattle council,” said Saul Spady, president of an advertising company and grandson of Dick Spady, founder of Dick’s Drive-In.

The referendum campaign, calling itself No Tax On Jobs, is chaired by James Maiocco, chief business development officer with Pushpay, a Redmond-based tech firm, according to a filing Friday with the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission (SEEC). The group had no political contributions listed as of Friday. Spady is listed as the group’s secretary.

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle...ch-referendum/

There is also a website at

http://notaxonjobs.com/

[homesinseattle]

There will be no problem getting those signatures. Most of my "liberal" Seattle friends and I are against the head tax.

[Flightoficarus87]

I'm with homes on this one. I expect a referendum to show up on the ballot - at that point, I think it has a good chance of being repealed.

Conversely, I ran into some canvassers out today trying to stop people from signing the ballot referendum forms. They didn't seem to be getting as much interest/support from bystanders as the referendum/signature booths I've been seeing lately, where people have even been lining up to sign at times.

[mhays25]

It's a stupid tax...it discourages jobs. Taxes are fine, but make them fair.

I've voted yes for 95% of the tax increases in this city, including human services. But this city isn't doing it right...clean up the god damn camps and trash piles.

[broncosilly]

The Washington State governments better get smart. If they tax enough, the big boys will move out. As it stands, there are more and more commitments to move to Arizona by major companies thru out the U.S.
What will the socialists do when they run out of other peoples money?


As some of you know, or not, Mr.Gates recently invested big money in the West Valley of Maricopa County Az.
So, keep it up with the tax increases........you won't like the results, but Arizona will.

[Blondebaerde]

Originally Posted by Flightoficarus87

I'm with homes on this one. I expect a referendum to show up on the ballot - at that point, I think it has a good chance of being repealed.

Conversely, I ran into some canvassers out today trying to stop people from signing the ballot referendum forms. They didn't seem to be getting as much interest/support from bystanders as the referendum/signature booths I've been seeing lately, where people have even been lining up to sign at times.

And if voted down, get ready for a "Million Bum March" on City Hall. Attendance will double if "Free Beer" signs are posted en route.

About time for all this to come to a screeching halt. Can't wait until people are finally truly fed up, even so-called social justice warriors. Those who puzzle out that more taxation, aka the Bum Tax®, does not solve the problem: rather, exacerbates it ten-fold. Then people might be voted in to take action, with fiscal accountability and transparency (alright, I can dream the impossible).

Check out San Diego forum, raging discussion there too. Per one estimate in a San Diego Trib article, they're up to $531 million to "solve the homeless problem," apparently for free housing. No detailed explanation provided for where that funding will come from, per usual. San Diego is fourth in the nation RE the "homeless problem." We are third. The homeless and their advocates are lining up in that thread against taxpayers, too. The article says it's a bold plan, and I'll agree with that at-least.

(Low income housing, OTOH, seems to bear fruit: I've known a graduate or two of that, who later bootstrapped themselves into better situations. Mostly single moms and poor families. Vastly different situation, and not what they were discussing in the above.)

[broncosilly]

I spend a little less than half my time in San Diego. Downtown is "Bum City". Millions spent on bum tents while the streets, water and sewer pipes fall apart. Sickening.


But the feel good crowd loves it.......it make them feel good about themselves. All the while stealing from tax payers.
You know the old saying......"look out for do gooders cuz they will do you good"

[wutitiz]

The poll I posted here came out about 9-1 against the head tax, including many self-proclaimed progressives.
Do you support Kshama Sawant's head tax proposal?


I haven't seen much made of the horribly regressive nature of this tax. Any full-time, and many part-timers will be paying the full $275. Hence a low-income worker pays a much higher percentage of his/her income than a higher income worker.


If the tax is repealed big-time by voters, it could be a huge albatross around the necks of the 9 city council members and mayor in future races.