Washington GOP Blasts Seattle Mayor Over 9.9% Millionaire Tax as Starbucks Shifts 2,000 Jobs
Updated
Updated · Fox News · May 18
Washington GOP Blasts Seattle Mayor Over 9.9% Millionaire Tax as Starbucks Shifts 2,000 Jobs
5 articles · Updated · Fox News · May 18
Washington State Republicans on Monday attacked Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson and the city council, tying her dismissive “like, bye” remarks about wealthy residents leaving to fears of capital flight.
A new 9.9% tax on households earning more than $1 million, signed March 30 by Gov. Bob Ferguson, has become the flashpoint as critics argue Washington is driving businesses toward lower-tax states.
Starbucks has sharpened those concerns by moving 2,000 corporate jobs to a new Nashville hub and cutting another 61 Seattle-based technology roles during a reorganization.
Rob Saka, a Seattle Democratic councilmember who had welcomed Wilson’s election, told the New York Times he is now “gravely concerned,” saying the business exodus “is real.”
The backlash lands less than five months into Wilson’s term, with the closure of Seattle’s Columbia Tower Club after more than 40 years adding to worries over downtown business activity and competitiveness.
Are Seattle's new policies creating a city where major businesses and top talent no longer want to stay?
Will Seattle's tax on millionaires fund promised social programs or accelerate the city's economic decline?