Seattle Mayor Backs Higher Taxes on Rich, Shrugs at 2,000-Job Starbucks Hub in Nashville
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · May 17
Seattle Mayor Backs Higher Taxes on Rich, Shrugs at 2,000-Job Starbucks Hub in Nashville
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 17
Katie Wilson, Seattle’s first-year mayor, reignited the city’s tax debate after saying fears that millionaires would leave are “super overblown” and adding of those who do, “Like, bye.”
Her remarks came as she defended higher taxes on wealthy residents and large businesses, turning a policy argument into a broader test of how far Seattle can push redistribution without alienating employers and affluent taxpayers.
Starbucks sits at the center of that tension after announcing a 2,000-employee corporate hub in Nashville, fueling concern that more operations could drift from its hometown.
Rob Saka, a Seattle City Council member, said he was “gravely concerned,” and Starbucks co-founder Howard Schultz last week accused Wilson in a Wall Street Journal column of using “socialist rhetoric” that vilifies employers.
The clash has pulled Seattle into a wider liberal-city debate over whether higher taxes can address housing costs and inequality without driving away investment, jobs and wealthy residents.
Can a city tax its wealthiest to solve social problems, or does this strategy simply drive its economic engine away?
What happens when a city’s iconic brand, like Starbucks, starts building its future in another state?