Why Companies Move
3rd May 2018
Amazon has paused development of its 17-story building in Seattle amid a debate over a city tax hike that would cost the e-commerce giant an estimated $20 million annually.
“I can confirm that pending the outcome of the head tax vote by City Council, Amazon has paused all construction planning on our Block 18 project in downtown Seattle and is evaluating options to sub-lease all space in our recently leased Rainer Square building,” said Drew Herdener, an Amazon spokesperson.
The “head tax” would charge 26 cents per employee per hour for Seattle-based companies with $20 million or more in annual sales, affecting 585 of Seattle’s largest businesses. There are more than 45,000 Amazon employees in Seattle and its expansion in the city would have created 7,000 new jobs for the company.
Seattle’s bureaucrats needs to learn that their dicks aren’t long enough to get into a pissing contest with Jeff Bezos. He may be a liberal, but he never forgets that he’s running a business.
UPDATE: Seattle May Hit Peak Progressivism With a Literal Tax on Jobs