According to a memo issued today, Council President Lorena Gonzalez has decided that the payroll tax bill put forward by Council members Sawant and Morales does not meet the criteria for allowed Council actions under Governor Inslee’s proclamation modifying the terms of the Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA) and Public Records Act (PRA). As such, the Council may not continue deliberations on it while the Governor’s proclamation remains in effect, and next Wednesday’s Budget Committee meeting to discuss the bill has been cancelled.
Continue readingTag: Amazon tax
Council discusses details of proposed payroll tax
Yesterday in another marathon committee meeting, the City Council delved further into the intricacies of the payroll tax proposal put forth by Council members Kshama Sawant and Tammy Morales.
Continue readingSchedule announced for “Amazon Tax” hearings
This morning, Council Budget Chair Teresa Mosqueda announced the schedule for deliberations on the payroll tax bill introduced by Council members Sawant and Morales.
Continue readingThe “Amazon Tax” bill is designed to be immune to referendum
In all the pomp and circumstance that Council member Sawant orchestrated for the rollout of her “Amazon Tax” bill, she neglected to mention one important point: it was specifically written so that it would not be subject to referendum. And Sawant invoked the COVID-19 emergency to do it.
Continue reading“Amazon Tax” bill gets officially introduced
This afternoon, Council members Sawant and Morales officially introduced their “Amazon Tax” legislation into the City Council’s legislative process, but not without a dust-up over who will shepherd it through committee deliberations.
Continue readingSawant, Morales revise and accelerate their “Amazon Tax” proposal
This morning, Council members Kshama Sawant and Tammy Morales unveiled an updated version of their proposal for an “Amazon tax,” re-tuned to provide relief for the COVID-19 pandemic.
Continue readingSawant, Morales unveil “Amazon tax” bills (updated)
This morning, Council members Kshama Sawant and Tammy Morales jointly unveiled their legislation to impose a new payroll tax on businesses in Seattle.
Continue readingHB 2907 dies, but gets resurrected as HB 2948 (updated)
In the ongoing saga of the current state legislative session, last night was the deadline for bills to be passed out of their “house of origin.” One of the many bills that didn’t make it was HB 2907, the much-talked-about bill sponsored by Rep. Nicole Macri that would grant King County the authority to impose a payroll tax to pay for affordable housing and homeless services. For the last several days, Macri had been negotiating with a variety of stakeholders to find a compromise that could gather enough support to pass, and the clock ran out. But today, Macri introduced …
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