Economy
The Precipitous Fall of Seattle’s ‘Amazon Tax’
The city’s ambitious plan to fund affordable housing by taxing corporations had a very short life. What happened?
In a rapid about-face, the Seattle City Council voted Tuesday to overturn a new tax they had unanimously approved just a month earlier, intended to fund affordable housing and homelessness initiatives. Lawmakers voted seven to two to reverse the tax on the city's largest corporations after an aggressive campaign to put a repeal of the law on the November ballot.
"[T]his is not a winnable battle at this time. The opposition has unlimited resources," said Lisa Herbold, who voted for the tax, and then for the repeal.