Seattle approves new income tax for wealthy residents

SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle's wealthiest would become the only Washington state residents to pay an income tax under legislation approved by the City Council, a measure designed as much to raise revenue as to open a broader discussion about whether the wealthy pay their fair share.

The council voted unanimously Monday to impose a 2.25 percent tax on the city's highest earners. Personal income in excess of $250,000 for individuals and in excess of $500,000 for married couples filing joint returns would be taxed.

The measure is certain to face a court challenge from opponents who call the tax proposal illegal, unconstitutional and a waste of taxpayer money. City leaders are likely to keep expanding and increasing the tax over time, they said.

The council is "going to unanimously adopt an illegal income tax that has no hope of taking effect and will waste taxpayer resources on litigation the city is sure to lose," said Jason Mercier, who directs the center for government reform with the Washington Policy Center,

Supporters of the new tax say the city's economic growth and prosperity has created significant wealth and opportunity, but it has also exacerbated the affordable housing crisis that has put a strain on those in lower income brackets.

Washington is one of seven states without a personal income tax, and a state law passed in 1984 prohibits a county, city, or city-county from levying a tax on net income. "We have an increasing affordability gap between the have and have nots. The middle class is being squeezed as well. And one of the reasons is our outdated, regressive and unfair tax structure," said Councilmember Lisa Herbold, who co-sponsored the measure.

"This is a big step forward in Seattle but it's also hopefully a big step forward for our state," she said before the 9-0 vote. A Seattle tax would be a step toward building political momentum for the state and its other cities and towns to enact progressive tax systems, the city council said in resolution earlier this year endorsing the idea of an income tax.

Those who testified in favor of the bill Monday included tech workers who said they were wealthy and favored being taxed to maintain city services and ensure the city remains a place for all incomes. One person called the tax misguided.

At a rally Monday before the vote, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray said the city expects a legal challenge. "We welcome that legal challenge. We welcome that fight," he said. If the city wins that battle, "it won't just be Seattle that's doing a progressive income tax," he added.

The city estimates the income tax will raise about $140 million a year. Revenue could be used to lower property taxes, pay for public services such as transit and housing, replace any federal money that is lost and meet carbon reduction goals.

Voters in the state have rejected personal income tax-related measures at the statewide ballot several times over the past eight decades. They did approve an income tax in 1932, but the state Supreme Court ruled the measure unconstitutional the following year.

Mercier said there is decades of case law saying that a graduated income tax is unconstitutional because income is property and under the constitution, property tax has to be taxed uniformly and no more than 1 percent.

That'll teach those rich bastards

Alt Right sites are notorious for being mostly Fake News. That's why I asked.

Alt Right sites have a very specific agenda, which most of them openly admit has nothing to do with a dedication to factuality, only to achieving their owners personal goals of the moment.

There is so far, zero evidence to support what you posted above. It is most likely that what you are reading is the result of eager people saying that they ASSUME, or IMAGINE that all that (other than the actual arrest warrant information) happened, because they WANT to think it is so, and then another of your Alt Right sites picked up the wish list as though it were fact, and passed it on.

let's hope not..melania is an amazing woman..i really do like her..

Good, tax the chit out of those rich basennerds. Then use the money to fix the roads and clean up the streets.

Judge allows Chicago-area sweetened beverage tax to begin

CHICAGO (AP) — A lawsuit challenging a penny-per-ounce tax on sweetened beverages sold in the Chicago area was dismissed Friday by a judge who also dissolved a temporary restraining order that had stopped it from being implemented.

July 29, 2017

The tax originally was to take effect July 1 but the Illinois Retail Merchants Association sued, arguing the tax is unconstitutional and too vague. It is now is scheduled to go into effect Wednesday, according to Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.

"We applaud today's decision by Judge (Daniel) Kubasiak granting our motion to dismiss the plaintiff's lawsuit challenging the sweetened beverage tax," Preckwinkle said in a statement after the ruling. "We believed all along that our ordinance was carefully drafted and met pertinent constitutional tests."

Cook County projected collecting about $67.5 million in revenue from the tax this year and more than $200 million for fiscal year 2018. Its delay resulted in layoff notices being sent to hundreds of county workers.

Illinois Retail Merchants Association president Rob Karr said his organization would consider its legal options, which include filing an appeal or an amended complaint. "We are disappointed by today's ruling," he said. "I can only imagine the outrage that is being felt by consumers throughout Cook County who may soon have to pay this tax."

The tax covers carbonated soft drinks, whether sweetened with sugar or a substitute such as aspartame, sports drinks and energy drinks. Fruit drinks also will be taxed, but 100 percent fruit juice is exempt.

On-demand, custom-sweetened beverages, such as those mixed by a server or barista, or a hand-made Frappuccino, aren't subject to the tax. Also exempt are purchases made with federal food stamp benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which are exempt from state and local sales taxes under federal law.

The burden of the tax would fall heavily on consumers. However, if retailers don't include it in purchases, they could be subject to a fine of $1,000 for the first offense, and $2,000 for the second and each subsequent offense.

Philadelphia approved a sugary beverages tax last year. Voters in San Francisco, Oakland and Albany, California, and Boulder, Colorado, approved similar taxes in November.


A great solution to insolvency

I consider this fallacious logic. IF the issue is mental health, than perhaps screening individuals for their INDIVIDUAL mental health should be the answer, not banning a whole DEMOGRAPHIC. After all, if 40 percent are suicidal that means 60 percent are not,, so why ban them too?

Obama changed the Regulations last year June,as usual,by Fiat,weaseled change in the last moment!
Peruse the Regulations concerning Recruitment!
There is NO Right to serve in the Armed Forces!

Contrary to Leftists' dishonesty, the United States Armed Forces are entities that exist for only two reasons:

1. To afford protection for the citizens of the nation from violent foreign threats;

2. To mete out lethal and deadly force to those enemies.

All other tasks performed by our military, whether non-aggressive or not, are incidental and ancillary to those two charges. Simply put, they are defensive killing organizations.

The U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and, Coast Guard are NOT social constructs or clubs. Neither are they governed by the same code of behaviors as civilians, nor should they be so regulated.

And, they certainly do NOT exist to provide free medical/surgical services to those suffering from psychological disorders.

If you have special medical needs, for whatever reason, then you can't serve. It doesn't mean you're not patriotic, worthy, or just gosh darned nice. It means you can't serve.

Whenever statistics and averages are used, we can count on some well-meaning but confused individual to trot out the exception as though that disproves the offending science and data.

Transsexuals have a 40% suicide rate and no, it's not because of bullying or any nonsense like that. Moreover, gender reassignment therapies do not lower this extraordinary high suicide rate by any meaningful amount. There are plenty of marginalized people who do not commit suicide at those rates. For example, the suicide rate amongst African-Americans is lower than for Euro-Americans and even the suicide rate amongst Native Americans is lower. In fact, other than transsexuals, suicide seems to be a 'white male privilege.'

Let's stop pretending these are normal well-adjusted individuals whose only problem is one solved by gender reassignment therapy. The fact is that they are unfortunate mentally ill people for whom a political redesignation or a change of wording in the DSM does not provide a cure. Why would we saddle our warriors and our war fighting institutions with these problems and concerns, when they should be focused on one thing and one thing only; defeating the enemy!? Yes, there are exceptions. Good for them. Making public policy based on the exception is foolish in the extreme.

http://www.military.com/join-armed-forces/disqualifiers-medical-conditions.html

The US has gone through many historical changes in culture, namely in the recognition of 'rights'.

Women could once not own homes, or vote.
Minorities could for most of american history not learn to read , or write, or even name themselves, let alone vote or own or accumulate anything of worth.


there are other examples as well, discrimination that has been overcome , but we seem to be regressing quickly,,,,



I am seeing what almost seems like a regression or rebellion of this inclusive fabric that America was evolving into.

I hear the rationalizations for bans on people from 'certain' countries.-not certain people based upon their record, but people from certain countries REGARDLESS of their records,,,


I hear the rationalizations for banning transgenders from the military. Before it became more pc to mutilate your body and pretend to be the same as someone with a natural anatomy and to force(through political pressure) others to do the same, it was recognized as a type of confusion. Yet is it a confusion thats the same in everyone and to the same degree? If so, how have transgender people managed to serve honorably in the past?


We seem to be going back to a time when we attack and exclude groups of people from the 'american dream' merely because of the group to which they belong with no consideration to the character and BEHAVIOR of the actual individual themself. It is a scary time to wonder who will be next as we continue to rationalize and cheer it on,,,,,

The US has gone through many historical changes in culture, namely in the recognition of 'rights'.

Women could once not own homes, or vote.
Minorities could for most of american history not learn to read , or write, or even name themselves, let alone vote or own or accumulate anything of worth.


there are other examples as well, discrimination that has been overcome , but we seem to be regressing quickly,,,,



I am seeing what almost seems like a regression or rebellion of this inclusive fabric that America was evolving into.

I hear the rationalizations for bans on people from 'certain' countries.-not certain people based upon their record, but people from certain countries REGARDLESS of their records,,,


I hear the rationalizations for banning transgenders from the military. Before it became more pc to mutilate your body and pretend to be the same as someone with a natural anatomy and to force(through political pressure) others to do the same, it was recognized as a type of confusion. Yet is it a confusion thats the same in everyone and to the same degree? If so, how have transgender people managed to serve honorably in the past?


We seem to be going back to a time when we attack and exclude groups of people from the 'american dream' merely because of the group to which they belong with no consideration to the character and BEHAVIOR of the actual individual themself. It is a scary time to wonder who will be next as we continue to rationalize and cheer it on,,,,,

Agreed Alley,
Looks like the Clinton Mafia is truly about to go down. Seth Rich is an American hero!!!

I think it is a great idea.

Except move the Chip to that gaping hole
in their heads where their brains used
to live.

Collusion delusion.