"This month's delay results in $40 million in big businesses taxes the city will never collect and $40 million in COVID relief that will never be sent to needy households," Sawant said.

No. Based on the spending plan Sawant proposed, COVID-19 relief would be funded through interfund loans now, to be repaid in 2021 when the proposed tax would take effect. If the proposal passes, the city will still collect the exact same amount, regardless of the fact that legislative activity was lawfully curtailed for a relatively short period of time this spring.

More Kabuki theater coming soon.

Bellevue welcomes your new jobs.

Without an income tax, Seattle and WA will never get a dime of tax money from Amazon.

Meanwhile, on the federal level Amazon thinks going from $0 in taxes paid to 1.2% is something to brag about.

https://itep.org/from-0-to-1-2-amazon-lauds-its-minuscule-effective-federal-income-tax-rate/

If corporations simply paid their fair share of taxes:

https://americansfortaxfairness.org/tax-fairness-briefing-booklet/fact-sheet-corporate-tax-rates/

Corporations haven’t contributed a dime towards deficit reduction in recent budget deals. And they want to continue this special treatment while American families shoulder the entire burden. Meanwhile, the country is starved for resources needed to foster economic growth and job creation — from infrastructure to research to improved schools.

“Everyone should pay their fair share whether it is an individual or a corporation,”
https://publicintegrity.org/inequality-poverty-opportunity/taxes/trumps-tax-cuts/you-paid-taxes-these-corporations-didnt/

And it is not just corporations:

Substantial Income of Wealthy Households Escapes Annual Taxation Or Enjoys Special Tax Breaks

Reform Is Needed

https://money.howstuffworks.com/personal-finance/personal-income-taxes/are-some-people-exempt-from-taxes1.htm

We need to pass:

Amazon Capital Gains Tax. Starts end of 2020.

Amazon Salary Surtax: All earnings for anyone working in or residing in Seattle, basic $250,000 exemption. No other exemptions of any type for any income including deferred earnings.

Amazon Parking Tax: No tax exemptions for any parking for any fossil fuel vehicles with ZERO exceptions.

@5 why do we need an income tax to get money out of Amazon? Wouldn’t that just impact employees? I’ve always wondered as well how fair share is defined. Is it a percentage? I always hear that but never have understood at what point you are considered ok.

@6 I’m assuming you mean these taxes apply to everyone and are just calling it an Amazon tax for consistency? The capital gains tax will prob appear at the state level and I could see an excess earnings tax being part of the upcoming budget discussions. I doubt there will be any issues with parking as tech employees are going to increasingly be allowed to work remote.

Seattle gets a lot of money from Amazon and its employees through property taxes and sales taxes paid by the employees. As far as federal taxes go, Amazon chooses to invest its income in R&D, which means hiring people. Those people then pay federal income tax. Either Amazon retains profit and pays taxes on the profit, or they hire more people who then pay taxes on their salaries. It’s the same taxes, the only difference is whether Amazon pays them directly or pays them as tax withheld from employees.

@7 Yes it would affect everyone and that is what makes it fair (as opposed to regressive like sales tax). Do you not understand how taxation works There are tax brackets based on income earned. The brackets are supposed to represent a fair share based on earnings. If someone who is retired like my mother pays 12% on her modest, fixed income here in Oregon, why should corporations that rake in billions in profit (earned on the backs of their employees, who pay taxes depending on where they live) not also pay taxes? Why would it be a problem for Amazon employees to pay income taxes? Are they paid too little?

Even if tax reform in this country was - okay everyone is going to pay 5% tax on their earnings (only if they make a living wage, people in poverty either need to be paid living wages or be able to not have a tax burden, especially when their employees make obscene profits on their labor - and we've all learned what is essential labor in this country with the current pandemic), it would be better than the system that exists now (though it would still favor the rich, since 5% of $100,000 is far less of one's earnings/personal wealth than 5% of $50,000.

Allowing corporations and billionaires to not pay taxes (for the myriad of reasons bleated endlessly in a strange cult-like fealty to the obscenely wealthy) is nonsensical.

Haha, you people are dreaming nonsense. None of this is going to happen. Do you know who pays corporate taxes? Customers do, through higher prices. I wouldn't let any of you run so much as a lemonade stand.

@9 no need to get personal. I know how taxes work. I wasn’t sure how making employees pay an income tax impacts Amazon in any way and after reading your message I’m still not clear what you are suggesting. You talk about a personal income tax but then say amazon needs to pay tax. So which is it because an income tax has zero bearing on Amazon’s tax burden. Besides a progressive income tax is illegal in WA state and that won’t be changing any time soon. Still not clear on fair share either.

Just a silly article. No matter what takes place regarding the facilitation of meetings, no way is this legislation passing the counsel.

*council.

Godddamnit.

https://americansfortaxfairness.org/category/press/reports-press/

5. "Without an income tax, Seattle and WA will never get a dime of tax money from Amazon."

You're clueless. Amazon pays all of its State and Local taxes, millions and millions of dollars. Some nitwits seem to think the City Council writes the Federal Tax Code.

Here's a tip. If you don't like Amazon, do what I do. Don't shop on Amazon. It's really easy to NOT shop there. In particular, don't buy anything off of the Socialist Alternative Amazon Wishlist.

"The Amazon Tax Is Back on the Menu"--and it's still badly crafted and misguided. And what "vindication" for Sawant? She couldn't stop spewing disgusting ad hominem insults about everyone--Gonzalez, Herbold, Durkan, any and all Democrats--and yet weeks ago at the height of Sawant's fury, Gonzalez actively sought ways to have Inslee allow for public discussion of the tax. She was trying to get this resolved, albeit within the context of what is considered legal for the council to discuss. Gonzalez was not persecuting, tricking, or marginalizing Sawant. So now the actual tax can be discussed and debated publicly. Fine: that's as it should be. If anyone is vindicated, it's Gonzalez, whom Sawant ridiculed as a back-room dealer. And I would love to see more empathetic consensus-building and less "But I'm the only REAL progressive around here" condescension from Sawant. But... the narcissists of the right hide behind the rhetoric of religious tradition and patriotism, and the narcissists of the left hide behind the rhetoric of community and social justice. Their shared obsession with historic legend status, fame, and media attention shows they're opposite sides of the same coin.

Fuck sawant.

We don't need you to set up foundations or trusts or even give to charity. We need corporations to just pay their fair share of taxes. That's it.

@7 correct. part of the reason is our State Constitution only permits a flat single rate income tax with a single exemption. Easiest to just do a flat city income tax with a $250,000 income exemption and include carried interest and deferred income as income by definition, otherwise people like me will keep paying very little tax (the average millionaire here pays maybe 8% income tax). The reason for also having a capital gains tax and remove parking tax exemptions is we need revenue now. Also, people like me mostly get earnings from capital gains, and we should stop driving.