Posted on 06/16/2017 1:07:27 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Of 65 public comments over more than two hours, only a handful were against the income tax.
At a public hearing on a proposed income tax on high earnings at Seattle City Council chambers Wednesday night, a near-unanimous consensus emerged from the sometimes soaring, sometimes stammering oratory: pass it.
After a presentation from a council central staffer, the council’s Affordable Housing, Neighborhoods and Finance Committee heard from 65 commenters in total. Of these, only a handful spoke against the measure. I counted three. One identified himself as a Republican, another as a libertarian before saying that “taxation is theft,” and the final commenter of the night asked members of council and the audience, “Who’s going to take [taxpayers’] money? Who’s going to take their money? Are you going to take their money?”
A couple times when opponents to the tax were speaking, councilmembers shushed audience members for hissing or yelling over comments they disliked.
Overwhelmingly, though, public comment during the first, much-anticipated City Council hearing on the proposed tax was overwhelmingly in favor of “tax justice,” as many commenters put it. Many described much-needed funding the income tax could provide for housing and social services. Mellie Kaufman, one of several vendors and representatives of Real Change who testified, told the council that “we need the income tax to address our affordable housing crisis,” and to fund shelters for survivors of domestic violence.
Ned Friend, who identified himself as an engineer at a local tech firm, rebuked local Microsoft tycoon Steve Ballmer for telling KIRO Radio last month that creating an income tax could crash Seattle’s economy. “Unlike Steve Ballmer, I’m looking forward to the day when I can pay my fair share,” said Friend. “What really makes an unfavorable business climate is tents lining our highways.”
“We’re embarking on a journey for a tax system that is equitable and fully funds public services,” said John Burbank of the Economic Opportunity Institute. Thanking Mayor Ed Murray and Councilmembers Kshama Sawant and Lisa Herbold for “leading” on this issue, he added, “We don’t need another study. We don’t need consultation. We need action now … putting your morals and our morals into action.”
Another commenter suggested that the income tax could help “liberate” rich people from their “fetish” with material wealth.
A bill to create the income tax has been drafted but not yet introduced to the council. The council already unanimously passed a resolution declaring its intention to pass a bill by July 10. As currently drafted, revenue from the income tax—an estimated $125 million in its first year, which would begin in February 2018—would be earmarked for replacing other, regressive taxes; backfilling federal funds if they are cut; creating public housing, education, and transit; green jobs; and administration of the tax itself. However, the details of how that money would be spent would be part of the normal city budget process in the fall. According to Herbold, the tax would apply to about 8,500 Seattleites, out of nearly 700,000.
Seattle...enough said
yea that always works. i can’t stand these blue staters because once their town/city/state collapses or is unlivable due to cost of living, high taxes, they wanna flee to a red state and vote for politicians who support the policies that made them flee their socialist paradise.
There are a few rich people who love to pay high taxes—like the looney-tune who testified at the hearing.
The rest will move to the burbs—think of it as “bright flight”. :-)
“Ned Friend, who identified himself as an engineer at a local tech firm, rebuked local Microsoft tycoon Steve Ballmer for telling KIRO Radio last month that creating an income tax could crash Seattle’s economy. “Unlike Steve Ballmer, I’m looking forward to the day when I can pay my fair share,” said Friend. “What really makes an unfavorable business climate is tents lining our highways.”
I wonder if Ned is really one of the 8,500 people that will be affected by the tax. Or maybe he is just figuring that in a few years, when the threshold drops and includes 150,000 people he will be included.
Ned can already pay his fair share to a local church, homeless shelter, etc. Heck - if he is in the upper 8,500 what is keeping him from buying a modest apartment building and housing a bunch of homeless people. Maybe a few buildings. One with men, one with women - say 3 or 4 room mates to an apartment. And then have one building for families?
The least he could do is take in one man or woman that is living out on the streets. (I know folks from church that have done this actually.)
If the bill passes, the giant sucking sound we’ll hear will be half the 8,500 targeted wealthy taxpayers quickly fleeing Seattle.
Morons.
We already have 1,200 people a day moving to the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. We don’t need nonsense like this to increase that number.
Welfare for landlords. Using tax revenues to subsidize rent where rents are already high just drives rents higher. Look at what student loans and grants has done to college tuition costs!!!!
yup, like all the Massholes who fled across the border into southern New Hampshire, and have now wrecked New Hampshire.
Or all the Californicators who have fled to Rocky Mtn. states such as Colorado and turned some of those towns and states increasingly purple or blue.
They leave the morass created by socialist Libtards, but don’t think about how their votes help to re-create the process where they move....
It happens over and over again.
Socialists like the idea of taxing the other guy - theft. Democracy is not supposed to be two wolves and a lamb voting on who gets eaten for dinner.
Notice how adding "justice" somehow makes the concept holy?
Tax the working rich now, lest they become virtually nontaxable as the truly rich trustfunders - many of which are found in the greater Seattle area ...
If you take all the money away from the rich and give it to the poor, before long the rich will be rich again, and the poor will be poor again.
They should go check out Philadelphia.
Highest city wage tax in the nation at around 4.5%
Has lost half of its population.
And it is totally BANKRUPT.
And the suburbs are doing quite well...
A progressive adding the word “justice” onto anything invariably means that people will not be treated equally.
That is, until it applies to nearly all 700,000.
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