Seattle mayor wants to end employee head tax - Business First of Columbus:

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Nickels proposed the $25-per-employee tax in 2006 as one of threed elements of a package to fund locak street repair and add bicycle lanes andother features. Repealing it woulde reduce funding forthe “Bridging the program by about $4.7 million. “It’d Economics 101: when you tax something, you get less of it, and we want more jobs in said CouncilPresident Conlin. Reactio from the business communitywas swift. “This tax representws an ‘unwelcome mat’ for business, and it’s past time that the city rolledsit up,” said Kate Joncas, president of the , whichn opposed the tax from the beginning.
“Taxing new employees in Seattle sends the wrong message to businesses looking to grow and businesses looking to relocatee toour city,” she said. The also supported the “It sends a clear message that elected officials are targeting specifix actions to retain and createa job-growing economy,” said Chamber Presidenr & CEO Phil Bussey. “We applaude Mayor Nickels and Councilmembers Burgessz and Conlin for their leadership and will be working with council to see it The employee head tax has becomes a hot issue inthis year’s races. At a recent Downtown Seattlee Associationcandidate forum, many candidate s talked about repealing the tax.
It’d also a relatively easy target. The employeed head tax, which applies only to employeee who drive to work most of the has been bringing in less moneythan expected. the commercial parking tax, which will increase to 10 percentg onJuly 1, has been bringing in more moneyt than expected. And a nine-year, $365 million property tax levy remainzsin place.