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Join our Tax Amazon movement in calling on Seattle City Council to send a clear message to the politicians in Olympia:
*Yes to statewide taxes on big business and the billionaire class
*No to using progressive taxation as cover for undermining our historic Amazon Tax victory in Seattle last July.
Email Seattle City Council at council@seattle.gov: Tell them to vote YES on the resolution from my office urging the State Legislature to tax big business and the wealthy and NOT undermine Seattle’s Amazon Tax.
Additionally, Tuesday, February 16 at 11:30am, join my office for an online community meeting, then testify to City Council at 2:00pm.
The Washington State Legislature, including Democrats, have presided over decades of inexcusable underfunding of education, housing, healthcare, jobs, and services. Now working people face compounding crises in the pandemic and recession.
In this state with the nation’s most regressive tax system, we desperately need statewide taxes on big business and the wealthy in addition to Seattle’s Amazon Tax. Last July, our democratically-organized Tax Amazon movement scored a historic victory when we won a tax on the city’s largest corporations to fund social housing and Green New Deal programs. But this is not enough, and we also need statewide taxes on big business and the wealthy. That includes taxing capital gains, a wealth tax on billionaires, and taxing corporate payroll.
Shamefully, rather than push for statewide big business taxes to bolster Seattle’s Amazon Tax, Democrats in Olympia have said they are looking at using statewide legislation to undermine Seattle’s tax, and shield the most profitable corporations and the wealthiest from taxes at a time when ordinary people are experiencing unprecedented suffering, on top of shouldering regressive taxes.
That’s why, I am introducing a resolution in City Council reiterating the City’s opposition to any state effort to limit or block the Amazon tax in the future. It’s important that the City Council urge State Legislators to go on record opposing all forms of preempting, limiting, or phasing out local progressive taxation.
Email Seattle City Council at council@seattle.gov: Tell them to vote YES on the resolution from my office urging the State Legislature to tax big business and the wealthy and NOT undermine Seattle’s Amazon Tax.
Last month self-described progressive Democrat State Representative Nicole Macri (D-Seattle) told Crosscut she’s open to having the state force Seattle to “phase out” the Amazon Tax as part of enacting a statewide measure. State Senator Christine Rolfes, the Democrats’ lead budget-writer and another self-described progressive, was quoted as saying that she wants to avoid a “double tax” on Seattle-based big corporations! Macri essentially agreed, saying they should reduce Seattle’s Amazon tax by the amount of the new state tax (if it’s passed), so that Seattle businesses are not double-taxed.
While these progressive elected officials are worried that wealthy corporations may be taxed too much, they’ve had no problem subjecting working people to double and more than double taxation, with regressive taxes like sales and property taxes!
And who are these corporations? It’s those that have reaped untold profits for decades under the state’s corporate tax haven and have even profiteered during the pandemic! The Washington Post last fall reported that “America’s biggest companies are flourishing during the pandemic and putting thousands of people out of work.” Major companies with significant presence in Seattle besides Amazon, like F5 Networks, Starbucks, Salesforce, and Google all have reported high profits in 2020 while tens of thousands of working people in Seattle and tens of millions nationally have struggled to stay housed and get adequate food and medical care.
Working people need legislators to increase taxes on big business to urgently fund human needs, not undermine our hard won victory by enshrining tax immunity for big business and the wealthy with a “poison pill” amendment. Any attempt to undermine the Amazon Tax and block local big business taxes would be an utterly shameful, highly regressive attack on working people by these “progressive” Democrats.
Email Seattle City Council at council@seattle.gov: Tell them to vote YES on the resolution from my office urging the State Legislature to tax big business and the wealthy and NOT undermine Seattle’s Amazon Tax.
Why focus on the Democrats? What about the Republicans – aren’t they hostile to taxing big business? Shouldn’t we focus our movement’s fight towards them?
Yes, the Republicans and the right in the state legislature are blatantly pro-corporate, and against our Amazon Tax and statewide big business taxes. But Democrats have the Governor’s mansion, and control both the state House (57 to 41) and the state Senate (29 to 20). Republicans are in the minority. Democrats are in complete control in Olympia. They do not need to negotiate any “compromises” with Republicans. Democrats control the destiny of progressive taxation and any “poison pills.” It is entirely within their power to immediately and decisively take the preemption option off the table.
That’s why I urge you to take action now.
Email Seattle City Council at council@seattle.gov: Tell them to vote YES on the resolution from my office urging the State Legislature to tax big business and the wealthy and NOT undermine Seattle’s Amazon Tax.
Lastly, Tuesday, February 16 at 11:30am, join my office for an online community meeting, then testify to City Council at 2:00pm.
In Solidarity,
Kshama Sawant