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Seattle passes payroll tax targeting Amazon and other big businesses

  

Category:  News & Politics

Via:  texan1211  •  4 years ago  •  12 comments

By:   MSN

Seattle passes payroll tax targeting Amazon and other big businesses
The JumpStart Tax 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.

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 After the head tax was repealed, councilmember Kshama Sawant pushed to revive discussions around a big business tax with her "Tax Amazon" campaign.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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Texan1211
Professor Principal
1  seeder  Texan1211    4 years ago

Yet more brilliant ideas from Seattle.

SMH

 
 
 
XXJefferson51
Senior Guide
1.1  XXJefferson51  replied to  Texan1211 @1    4 years ago

So the more employees a company has and the more they pay their employees the more they are taxed?  Pure stupidity to me.  Didn’t a billion dollar company just leave Seattle for Texas over similar stupidity from Seattle?

 
 
 
Nowhere Man
Junior Guide
1.1.1  Nowhere Man  replied to  XXJefferson51 @1.1    4 years ago

Yep and Boeing Corporate left for Chicago over a decade ago cause of King County's and Seattle's taxing schemes...

Several other companies left also... 

They are really trying to turn this into a socialist utopian shithole...

 
 
 
sixpick
Professor Quiet
1.3  sixpick  replied to  Texan1211 @1    4 years ago

Between Microsoft and Amazon there are over 100,000 employees.  Amazon has a few more than Microsoft, but Microsoft is located in Redmond.  I guess there will be over 50,000 less employees in Seattle as soon as Amazon can find a way to get out of town.

Seattle and Redmond are only about 20 miles from each other.  I bet a lot of their employees wish they would move away from both of those cities.

Redmond's cost of living is higher than Seattle's cost of living, if you can believe that.

Fiestas_Patrias_Parade%2C_South_Park%2C_Seattle%2C_2017_-_114_-_city_council_candidate_Teresa_Mosqueda.jpg

 
 
 
Jeremy Retired in NC
Professor Expert
2  Jeremy Retired in NC    4 years ago

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.

 
 
 
charger 383
Professor Silent
3  charger 383    4 years ago

Chasing away the goose that lays golden eggs 

 
 
 
Nowhere Man
Junior Guide
4  Nowhere Man    4 years ago

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....

 
 
 
Nowhere Man
Junior Guide
5  Nowhere Man    4 years ago

It's a head tax without actually counting the heads..

 
 
 
Mark in Wyoming
Professor Silent
6  Mark in Wyoming     4 years ago

Im just wondering how fast those jobs will take to clear out.

 
 

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