Do you support Kshama Sawant's head tax proposal? (Seattle, Wilbur: 2015, taxi)

[Dport7674]

The '2nd headquarters' idea is starting to look like Amazon wants to slip away but without announcing it until they've completely set up shop somewhere else. Probably DC.

[mhays25]

Originally Posted by cttransplant85

The reason tech is/was exploding in Washington is because the genius who wrote your constitution made it so that an income tax can never be implemented. Therefore Washington is a relatively business and innovation friendly place in comparison to Canada, Oregon or California. It's a double whammy low tax state in a very educated region. The lack of income tax is a huge net positive in attracting capital investment. If you start placing head taxes on all the businesses your competitive advantage is null and void. Compare Seattle to Vancouver for example, Almost identical cities except Seattle has no income tax, Vancouver has some of the highest taxes in North American. Seattle outperforms Vancouver by wide margins in every category. Average net take home pay in Seattle is TWICE as much as Vancouver.

High-wage tech jobs are heavily concentrated in high-tax cities...San Francisco, Boston, etc. However there's a limit.

[Xanathos]

Originally Posted by mhays25

A mini tech exodus? You realize tech is exploding in the region, with numerous techs in the middle of giant expansions? Some of Seattle's current tech expansions would be giant headlines in most cities but are absolute crickets here.

That said, the head tax is stupid. I suppose we can be happy the half version will be enacted vs. the larger one.

Dude, Seattle isn't even one of the hottest tech markets around today, and that was before this "hey, come set up an outpost here - we'll only charge you a few million dollars a year in an arbitrary tax to do so" maneuver.

The tech explosion was the result of people trying to flee Silicon Valley for some place more affordable. Then Seattle became unaffordable, and the tech explosion has moved elsewhere (Denver, most notably, though Nashville and Austin are experiencing a really good clip up).

Even my own place employ (which has a not-insignificant presence in Seattle) is starting steerco meetings to discuss how to respond to the vote. We won't completely abandon the area, I'm sure, but we'll likely pare down to just 50-100 people who are geographically convenient to have there.

[Rombus]

One test I apply to new taxes is to see if they are adjusted for inflation.

In this case, will the 20 million dollar amount be indexed? So far I have not been able to find this out. If not, then over the next few years the number of companies this tax hits will increase.

[noah]

Originally Posted by flyingsaucermom

I believe that a lot of the homelessness is a consequence to the rampant drug addiction. Payroll taxes to build "affordable housing" does NOTHING to stop the drugs.

Right on. Notice how the drug issue is rarely and I mean rarely even mentioned as an issue to address as part of the homeless solution. First city I have been in where that was not a major part of the conversation.

[homerboy]

Ridiculous liberals at work in WA state. B&O tax on small businesses. Tax private automobile owners to fund a massive public light rail project that most people here won't even see in their lifetime, let alone ride it. Building "safe injection" sites. And now Seattle wants to tax a major employer to help the homeless.

What's next, raise property tax to build more section 8 housing?

[dozerbear]

Originally Posted by mhays25

I'm normally a tax-n-spend liberal. I vote yes for everything. But yes Sawant and crew are bat**** crazy, and with malicious intent. She's about tearing down the system, and it's entirely based on academic theory, not the real world.

Except everything that buffoon wants to do isn't just academic theory, It's been tried over and over again and without exception it's a spectacular failure. Sawant and her fool supporters are just too busy #resist-ing to pick up a history book.

The 'giant sucking sound" Ross Perot referred to in 1992 is coming.

[mhays25]

Originally Posted by Xanathos

Dude, Seattle isn't even one of the hottest tech markets around today, and that was before this "hey, come set up an outpost here - we'll only charge you a few million dollars a year in an arbitrary tax to do so" maneuver.

The tech explosion was the result of people trying to flee Silicon Valley for some place more affordable. Then Seattle became unaffordable, and the tech explosion has moved elsewhere (Denver, most notably, though Nashville and Austin are experiencing a really good clip up).

Even my own place employ (which has a not-insignificant presence in Seattle) is starting steerco meetings to discuss how to respond to the vote. We won't completely abandon the area, I'm sure, but we'll likely pare down to just 50-100 people who are geographically convenient to have there.

I work for a general contractor. You don't seem to be in the loop on what's happening today and what's planned!

[Flightoficarus87]

Originally Posted by homerboy

Ridiculous liberals at work in WA state. B&O tax on small businesses. Tax private automobile owners to fund a massive public light rail project that most people here won't even see in their lifetime, let alone ride it. Building "safe injection" sites. And now Seattle wants to tax a major employer to help the homeless.

What's next, raise property tax to build more section 8 housing?

Shh! Don't give them ideas!

[Rombus]

There was an article in the newspapers(remember those?) yesterday - 5/15, about the cities that have been competing to get Amazon's new HQ2. It seems that the ones that didn't make the cut and even some that did, are dusting off their Amazon presentation and using it to lure other modern companies, paying good wages to their cities.

Meanwhile, back in Seattle.........