The Overcast: Seattle Wants An Income Tax But It's Complicated
By Simone Alicea & Jim Brunner & Dan Beekman • Jun 30, 2017
Residents speak at a recent public hearing about Seattle's income tax proposal set to head to a City Council vote in July.
Simone Alicea / KNKX
The Seattle City Council plans on passing a local income tax in the next couple weeks. But there are a lot of questions about a potential city income tax in a state that doesn't have one.
The most pressing question might be whether the tax would be legal. Even if it isn't, does that even matter?
Seattle Times political reporter Jim Brunner and City Hall reporter Dan Beekman dive into the issue on the latest episode of The Overcast, their weekly politics podcast recorded at KNKX.
They spoke with John Burbank, executive director of the Economic Opportunity Institute and income tax advocate; and with income tax opponent Jason Mercier with the Washington Policy Center.
Below you can hear an excerpt of their conversation dealing specifically with the legal questions surrounding the income tax.
To hear more about the specifics of Seattle's proposal and what it could mean for the rest of the state, check out the whole podcast. You can find The Overcast on iTunes, Tunein, Sticher and SoundCloud.
The Overcast
Economic Opportunity Institute
Washington Policy Center
The Overcast: How To Make Sense Of Seattle's Crowded Mayoral Primary
Elaine Thompson / AP
When Seattle residents get their primary ballots in the next few weeks, they are going to see a list of 21 people hoping to lead the state's largest city.
Residents Tell Seattle City Council They're Ready For An Income Tax
By Simone Alicea • Jun 15, 2017
Seattle City Council members heard from dozens of speakers Wednesday evening during the first public hearing at City Hall on a proposal to enact a citywide income tax.
Mayor Ed Murray and council members Lisa Herbold and Kshama Sawant unveiled the legislation Monday evening. The council passed a resolution in May saying it planned to consider and pass an income tax ordinance by July.
The current proposal is a two percent tax on income more than $250,000 per year for individuals and more than $500,000 for couples who file their taxes jointly.