, Columnist
Seattle Needs a Cure for Its Tax Fever
Going after Amazon and other big employers turns out to have consequences.
Seething in Seattle.
Photographer: Carl Larson/Moment Editorial/Getty Images
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When Amazon announced its search for a second North American headquarters last year, it listed a “stable and consistent business climate” as a top priority. By that standard, its hometown -- HQ1 -- may be failing the test.
The Seattle City Council recently approved the largest “head tax” in the country -- $275 per employee per year that Amazon, Starbucks and more than 500 other big companies will have to pay.