Amazon fails to unseat pro-tax city council members in Seattle
Amazon has suffered a setback in its own backyard as several candidates for Seattle's City Council won election despite a $1.5 million campaign by business groups to defeat them. That included Kshama Sawant, an incumbent and socialist who has been a thorn in Amazon's side in recent years. The vote was held last Tuesday, but the results only became clear in recent days.
The result is significant for Amazon because last year Seattle's city council passed a $275 per employee tax on large employers. Amazon, Starbucks, and other large Seattle businesses blasted the law and funded a ballot measure to overturn it. Facing the threat of having their law overturned by voters, the city council itself repealed the measure a month after it passed.
If business groups had defeated pro-tax candidates in last week's election, it would have made the city council very reluctant to consider taxing employers again. Instead, the election results have emboldened supporters of an "Amazon tax."
(Score: 2) by Booga1 on Wednesday November 13 2019, @03:59AM (3 children)
Just FYI regarding Seattle, WA. There is no Washington income tax allowed.
https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=36.65.030 [wa.gov]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 13 2019, @04:18AM (1 child)
Taxable income is gross income, not net income. Did you have a point to make, or are you blissfully ignorant of how income tax works?
(Score: 2) by Booga1 on Wednesday November 13 2019, @10:17PM
Yeah, here's the proof that the judges have ruled otherwise: http://www.courts.wa.gov/opinions/pdf/754238.pdf [wa.gov]
For easier digestion: https://www.washingtonpolicy.org/publications/detail/local-income-taxes-are-illegal-in-washington-state [washingtonpolicy.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 13 2019, @04:49AM
And there is no sales tax in Montana.