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posted by martyb on Tuesday November 12 2019, @11:18PM   Printer-friendly
from the with-the-power-to-tax-comes-the-power-to-destroy dept.

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 Facing the threat of having their law overturned by voters, the city council itself repealed the measure a month after it passed.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."


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  • (Score: 2) by Booga1 on Wednesday November 13 2019, @10:17PM

    by Booga1 (6333) on Wednesday November 13 2019, @10:17PM (#920030)

    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]

    Though the phrase “net income” is used, the legislative history of this law makes it clear the Legislature was focused on prohibiting any type of local income tax. As noted by the bill report: [washingtonpolicy.org]

    “City-county consolidation was authorized by the voters in 1972 when they approved Amendment 52 to the State Constitution. An Attorney General’s Opinion in 1975 created some confusion over the powers possessed by a combined city-county. The Legislature had not enacted any statutes clarifying the constitutional authorization for combined city-counties. Summary: The following clarification are made . . . (2) A county, city, or combined city-county is prohibited from enacting an income tax . . .”

    Starting Score:    1  point
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