Taxes & Spending

Seattle’s broken budget needs a scorecard – It’s imperative to make your voice heard

Seattle’s broken budget needs a scorecard – It’s imperative to make your voice heard

The people of Seattle have spoken loudly regarding its priorities for the city, but apparently the majority of the City Council isn’t listening. According to recent polling by the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, public safety is the top priority, second only to homelessness. In his budget released in September, Mayor Bruce Harrell listened to...

New gas tax will make fuel prices far, far worse

New gas tax will make fuel prices far, far worse

Chances are you’ve experienced a bit of sticker-shock filling up your vehicle at the gas pump. While prices have risen in recent years, they’ve increased dramatically in the past few weeks due to ongoing global events. Unfortunately, even if things calm down overseas the prices here in Washington are only going to get worse thanks...

What went right and wrong this legislative session

What went right and wrong this legislative session

The 2022 legislative session ended on March 10 with a mixed bag that included some menial public safety reforms, unsustainable state spending, and homelessness policies that at best scratch the surface of the problem. Public Safety We began the session imploring lawmakers to fix a “police reform” law that effectively defanged police responses to actual...

Is $216 million enough to address homelessness in Seattle?

Is $216 million enough to address homelessness in Seattle?

If you had $216 million, what would you to do address homelessness? KOMO reports the City of Seattle now has a record $216 million to spend on homelessness this year and with about 8,000 people unsheltered, the city should be poised to make a serious dent in the number of unsheltered and unserved people…right? Recent...

Sawant Gets a Lawyer and Taxpayers Get Stuck with the Bill

Sawant Gets a Lawyer and Taxpayers Get Stuck with the Bill

  A Superior Court Judge ruled that there was enough evidence to move forward with the recall petition against Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant. According to a King 5 News report, the judge ruled that four allegations made against Sawant can proceed. These are serious allegations ranging from misusing public resources to doxing Mayor Durkin. Sawant...

Historic Tax Hike Threatens to Push Jobs Out Of Seattle

Historic Tax Hike Threatens to Push Jobs Out Of Seattle

As the local economy continues to reel from the global health pandemic, Seattle’s business community is facing a host of new challenges courtesy of a massive business tax adopted by the City Council. The new tax would affect more than 700 local businesses and many of those business owners say it is a direct threat...

Seattle Would Have To Collect Thousands From Every Taxpayer To Escape Its Debt

Seattle Would Have To Collect Thousands From Every Taxpayer To Escape Its Debt

A new report from the nonprofit group Truth in Accounting shows that the city of Seattle would have to collect $5,400 from every single eligible taxpayer to pay its bills. The report analyzed the fiscal health of America’s 75 largest cities and then graded them from first to worst, along with giving each city a...