Seattle considering increased taxes on tech giants
I think Bellevue is going to become their safe haven https://www.geekwire.com/2023/seattle-considers-expanding-jumpstart-tax-on-big-businesses-to-plug-budget-deficit/
It might be great actually if big tech left seattle for Bellevue, and seattle focused on making downtown more livable like Vancouver, BC. Once the new Link lines are done, commuting to Bellvue or Redmond for work might be actually nice.
Seattle has been looking for ways to tax the large businesses there for quite a while. The businesses bring a ton of money to the area, but also have brought a ton of social issues. Bellevue has refused to assist with the social issues, and effectively makes being homeless a crime. This the city is a lot cleaner and becoming more appealing. It's not a sustainable model though. We all love to dump on Seattle and blame them for their problems, but honestly they're the responsible ones compared to Bellevue.
What? How is Bellevue's model not sustainable or irresponsible? You're blaming the city for keeping itself clean and safe? Why would Bellevue be on the hook for Seattle's issues? They have totally different budgets and leadership, and it shows.
Bellevueās model is the only sustainable one. In 2023 the only reason you canāt find shelter space is bc you want to keep using drugs. Seattleās policy of enabling junkies is just going to get more addicts and innocent bystanders killed. Junkies either (1) hit rock bottom and realize they need to get clean on their own, (2) die of an OD, infection, or drug-related violence or (3) are forced to stop using drugs by coercive treatment. and the only way to coerce ppl into treatment is to charge them criminally and give them drug treatment diversion options as an alternative to jail.
Businesses are moving out of Seattle and the city council's answer is to raise taxes on the remaining businesses and push them out too Brilliant!
Yes but anyone supporting wfh should be voting for these destructive taxes