Seattle proposing an 'excess compensation' tax for employers to fund housing (enemy, generation)
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Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Annandale_Man
Define "affordable". Whatever is built is going to command "market rate" for rent else you are going to destroy the housing market.
They are trying to get apartments that rent for under 1/3 of the income of the minimum wage fast food/retail/hospitality workers. In Seattle with the new minimum wage of $19.97/hour, that's $3,195/month. Therefore the rent would have to be less than $1,065/month. Currently in Seattle the average rent more than double that: $2,267 for 688 sf studio, but a search on some of the sites does show some available in the $900-$1,200 range for 161-338 sf studios.
They seem to think that more inexpensive housing will solve the homeless problem, but don't seem to understand that there are people who don't want to live in an apartment, preferring the freedom to do drugs and steal, or are mentally ill and cannot even get a minimum wage job.
They are trying to get apartments that rent for under 1/3 of the income of the minimum wage fast food/retail/hospitality workers. In Seattle with the new minimum wage of $19.97/hour, that's $3,195/month. Therefore the rent would have to be less than $1,065/month. Currently in Seattle the average rent more than double that: $2,267 for 688 sf studio, but a search on some of the sites does show some available in the $900-$1,200 range for 161-338 sf studios.
They seem to think that more inexpensive housing will solve the homeless problem, but don't seem to understand that there are people who don't want to live in an apartment, preferring the freedom to do drugs and steal, or are mentally ill and cannot even get a minimum wage job.
And who will pay the cost to build them and the property taxes on the building ?
It’s not the governments responsibility to make sure everyone is housed.
The fundamental problem with all of liberalism, is that people feel it IS government's job to make sure everybody is housed. And employed in a job that provides them a "living wage". And basically prosperous.
These are things impossible for government to do, unless government takes far more away from people.
So what IS government's job?
"... all men are ... endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men..." -Declaration of Independence
In other words, The job of government is to protect people's rights.And nothing else.
The people who designed our government named several of the rights, and implied there are others. Obviously, you have the right not to get stolen from, defrauded, threatened etc.
Earning enough money to comfortably live, is up to you. Same with getting sufficient housing, food, medical care etc.
Government's job extends only to making sure nobody steals what you have gotten from you, threatens you, injures or kills you, etc., and prosecutes and punishes those who do.
If government tries to give you prosperity, or takes from others to give it to you, govt becomes guilty of what it is supposed to prevent.
In this case, they are stealing from the one who agrees to pay the top salary..the employer.
Employers/businesses typically pass “costs” on to their customers, and an excess compensation tax would be no different.
Sadly, the liberals with heads made of concrete can never seem to grasp this basic elementary fact of life. What ever costs you impose on employers, businesses, “rich people” will always be paid for by the common folks.
This is why everyone suffers economically, when liberals are in charge, and those that suffer most are the lower paid workers who wind up paying for these idiotic liberal ideals.
Even here in Sammamish WA our house is taxed at $11,000/year. I can't imagine what a big Seattle apartment building has to pay. Actually I can look that up, On the County site. One apartment building on Market street is paying $1,600,000/year property tax.
The problem is, you cannot escape stupid, or outrun it. It’s faster than the speed of light.
True enough, but you can mitigate the cost and the amount of stupid to some degree, even if you cannot totally zero either.
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