Amazon Wins Victory as Seattle Repeals Tax on Big Employers
- City council votes 7-2 to reverse unanimous May decision
- Per-worker tax would have raised $50 million for homeless aid
Amazon.com Inc. offices in downtown Seattle, Washington.
Photographer: Daniel Berman/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Less than a month after unanimously passing a per-worker tax on large employers like Amazon.com Inc., the Seattle City Council voted 7 to 2 to repeal the new tax, which was set to provide almost $50 million for homeless services and affordable housing.
The reversal caps a tense few weeks in the city, where signature-gatherers -- some volunteer, some paid by the business community -- stood at parks, grocery stores and transit stops to sign up enough people to put a repeal on the November ballot. The council’s move Tuesday means the employer tax issue won’t face the city’s voters.