Seattle passes payroll tax targeting Amazon and other big businesses
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Seattle passes payroll tax targeting Amazon and other big businesses
- The Seattle City Council on Monday passed the JumpStart Tax, a payroll tax on the city's biggest businesses and highest earners, including Amazon.
- The legislation uses a tiered system of taxation, with the highest level designated for companies with annual payroll expenses of more than $1 billion.
- It represents a major blow to Amazon, which fought the passage of a so-called "head tax" in 2018.
© Provided by CNBC Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos
Seattle's City Council has approved a new tax for the city's biggest businesses and their highest earners, such as Amazon.
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Called the "JumpStart Seattle" tax, the bill passed late Monday with a 7-2 vote and is expected to go into effect in 2021. Money from the tax will initially be used to fund coronavirus relief, but will eventually go toward addressing housing and homelessness in Seattle.
Under the new bill, businesses with at least $7 million in annual payroll expenses will be taxed between 0.7% and 2.4% on the amount they pay Seattle-based employees , with tiers based on individual salary amounts above $150,000. The highest bracket targets companies like Amazon with annual payroll expenses above $1 billion. Those companies will be taxed 2.4% for employees making more than $400,000.
The decision is a blow to Amazon, which fought the passage of a so-called "head tax" in 2018 via a well-financed referendum campaign alongside other Seattle businesses. After the head tax was repealed, councilmember Kshama Sawant pushed to revive discussions around a big business tax with her "Tax Amazon" campaign. The JumpStart tax is more aggressive than the "Tax Amazon" legislation, which sought to apply a flat 0.7% payroll tax on big businesses.
Representatives from Amazon didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on the JumpStart legislation.
Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda, who introduced the JumpStart legislation, said the tax's approval is a "big step towards creating a progressive tax system that works for all." The tax didn't garner support from Seattle's business community, however, with the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce saying in a statement that the tax "pins Seattle's economic future on local businesses remaining strong, at a time when the depth and breadth of the crisis is still unfolding."
The passage of the JumpStart tax could further accelerate Amazon's move to secure office space outside of Seattle.
Amazon maintains an expansive Seattle footprint, but in recent years, it has moved to establish a presence in areas outside of the city. Last month, Amazon said it would lease 111,000 square feet of office space in Redmond, Washington, which will house some 600-plus employees. The company also has an office in the Seattle suburb of Bellevue and it's building a 43-story tower there, its largest yet.
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So lets get this straight. The city that allowed rioters to take over a section of the city and is one of the liberal centers of the country is now going to heavily tax large companies. Way to tank your economy.
Chasing away the goose that lays golden eggs
Well the head tax is why Amazon decided (almost) to move it's headquarters...
The head tax didn't get past the courts, neither will this...
More socialist claptrap trying to turn another major city into a deserted trash heap....
It's a head tax without actually counting the heads..
Im just wondering how fast those jobs will take to clear out.