Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Wednesday 13 June 2018

Seattle to repeal homeless-aid tax after Amazon objects

By PHUONG LE "Seattle City Council has
Associated Press heard the voices of the
SEATTLE (AP) — Amazon people loud and clear
balked, and Seattle is and are now reconsidering
backing down. this ill-conceived tax," said
City leaders said they plan John Murray, a spokesman
to repeal a tax on large with the No Tax on Jobs
companies such as Ama- campaign.
zon and Starbucks as they Councilwoman Teresa
face mounting pressure Mosqueda, one of four
from businesses, an about- sponsors of the tax, said
face just a month after she could not support re-
unanimously approving the pealing the tax without
measure to help pay for ef- "a replacement strategy
forts to combat a growing to house and shelter our
homelessness crisis. neighbors experiencing
The quick surrender showed homelessness."
the power of Amazon to "We cannot wait months or
help rally opposition and until next year for another
aggressively push back on proposal or process while
taxes at all levels of gov- people are sleeping in our
ernment, even in its afflu- parks and on our streets,"
ent home city where the in- she said in a statement.
come gap is ever widening Councilwoman Kshama
and lower-income workers Sawant said on Twitter that
are being priced out of In this May 24, 2018, photo, a man sleeps on the sidewalk as people behind line-up to buy lunch the repeal "is a capitula-
housing. It has resulted in at a Dick's Drive-In restaurant in Seattle. tion to bullying by Amazon"
one of the highest home- Associated Press and other big business and
lessness rates in the U.S. called it a "backroom be-
Amazon and other busi- longed, expensive politi- The tax debate comes housing and homeless ser- trayal" that didn't involve
nesses had sharply criti- cal fight over the next five as 20 cities vie to lure the vices. It would target busi- her office.
cized the tax, and the on- months that will do nothing company's second head- nesses making at least $20 The clash over who should
line retailer even tempo- to tackle our urgent hous- quarters and as it expands million in gross revenue and pay to solve a housing
rarily halted construction ing and homelessness cri- its workforce in Boston and take effect in January. crisis exacerbated by Se-
planning on a new high- sis." Vancouver, British Colum- The liberal city spent $68 attle's rapid economic
rise building near its Seattle They said they would move bia. million on homelessness in growth was marked by
headquarters in protest. forward to repeal the so- Cities have offered lavish 2017 and plans to spend weeks of raucous meetings
Mayor Jenny Durkan and called head tax. A special tax breaks and incentives $78 million this year. and tense exchanges that
seven of nine City Coun- council meeting is sched- to lure the company and its Just days after Durkan didn't abate after the tax
cil members said Monday uled Tuesday, where a vote promise of adding tens of signed the ordinance into was approved.
they worked with a range is expected. They didn't thousands of high-paying law, the No Tax On Jobs Opponents called the Se-
of groups to pass a mea- provide a backup funding jobs. Critics have said it is campaign, a coalition of attle measure a tax on jobs
sure last month that would plan. wrong for profitable com- businesses, announced it and questioned whether
strike a balance between It marks the latest Amazon pany to push for public would gather signatures to city officials are spending
protecting jobs and sup- move against city, state money, especially consid- put a repeal referendum current resources effective-
porting affordable housing. and national taxes. ering the added costs to on the November ballot. ly. Others praised the tax
But a coalition of businesses The company recently said infrastructure and services The campaign has raised as a step toward building
is working to get a referen- it would block Australians the new headquarters about $285,000 in cash badly needed affordable
dum on the November bal- from purchases on its inter- would bring. contributions, with more housing.
lot to overturn the tax. national websites after the Seattle's tax would charge employers, including Ama- The Seattle region had
In a statement ,Durkan nation planned to impose companies about $275 per zon and Starbucks, pledg- the third-highest number
and the council members a 10 percent consumption full-time worker each year ing nearly $200,000 in addi- of homeless people in the
said "it is clear that the or- tax on online retailers for and raise roughly $48 mil- tional support. U.S. and saw 169 homeless
dinance will lead to a pro- goods shipped to Australia. lion a year for affordable The coalition is glad the deaths in 2017.q