Seattle approves ‘head tax’ on large businesses despite Amazon’s opposition

[Sun Belt]

This will be a popular post.

Taxes extract money from consumers and savers that would otherwise be spent or saved for the future. With higher taxes, consumers consume less and savers save less. When people can't save enough this puts a higher burden on government to step in to provide relief, such as food stamps and affordable housing, social security, medicare etc. That burden requires government to make up losses in the form of more taxes. It's a viscous cycle because we're all afraid to go through immediate pain and would rather kick the can down the road.

Higher taxes result in lower corporate earnings due to the consumer having less to spend. Corporations offset this by reducing labor costs and other expenses. They reduce labor costs by automating and send operations off shore to China/India and hoard money abroad [to avoid excessive taxation] while cutting benefits to offset higher taxes and regulations.

The problem always originates with excessive taxation and government regulations. Ronald Reagan was right. Government is the problem.

[pizzaguy]

Ronald Reagan was nothing more than a senile old racist. He was right about absolutely nothing.

[BrownTown]

I am no big fan of Amazon and certainly don't weep for them having to pay a tiny bit more in taxes. However isn't the real issue here that housing cannot be built quick enough? Why not reduce regulations and provide incentives to build more housing as a first step? The transit improvements will help too, but not really soon enough for the people already feeling the crunch.

[mhays]

Oh, don't get me started.

On one hand Seattle does some good things. A project that's basically compliant won't get turned back entirely. Much of the city doesn't require parking or has low requirements, which is where most housing is going.

On the other hand, only 15% of the city allows density. Another 2/3 is single-family-only, which is a huge artificial barrier. Usable land in the 15% is usually in the hundreds per square foot, and is sometimes over $1,000/sf. Sometimes the math is 250 units on one acre at $400/sf, or $70,000 per unit just for the land, and even that omits financing or carrying the land.

Even the 15% is mostly limited to four/six/eight floors.

We also have a lengthy process for land use permits and building permits. It's both demanding and understaffed, so there's lots of work and lots of waiting.

And fees. Oh the fees. They're mostly for affordable housing but they also reset everybody's market rate rents (existing and new) to a much higher level.

I'll leave it there.

[skyscraper]

Originally Posted by pizzaguy

Ronald Reagan was nothing more than a senile old racist. He was right about absolutely nothing.

troll much?

[pizzaguy]

Originally Posted by skyscraper

troll much?

Someone has a different opinion than me! Must be a troll!

[pizzaguy]

Reagan was literally the devil.

Ronald Wilson Reagan? Six letters each? 666?

[JManc]

Originally Posted by pizzaguy

Reagan was literally the devil.

Ronald Wilson Reagan? Six letters each? 666?

Hard hitting commentary here.

[Sun Belt]

Originally Posted by pizzaguy

Reagan was literally the devil.

Ronald Wilson Reagan? Six letters each? 666?

Maybe he was a Reptilian? You should go investigate and get back to us in the real world.

[CherryCreek]

HQ2 may end up being HQ1 when its all said and done!

[Via Chicago]

Originally Posted by Sun Belt

This will be a popular post.

Taxes extract money from consumers and savers that would otherwise be spent or saved for the future. With higher taxes, consumers consume less and savers save less. When people can't save enough this puts a higher burden on government to step in to provide relief, such as food stamps and affordable housing, social security, medicare etc. That burden requires government to make up losses in the form of more taxes. It's a viscous cycle because we're all afraid to go through immediate pain and would rather kick the can down the road.

Higher taxes result in lower corporate earnings due to the consumer having less to spend. Corporations offset this by reducing labor costs and other expenses. They reduce labor costs by automating and send operations off shore to China/India and hoard money abroad [to avoid excessive taxation] while cutting benefits to offset higher taxes and regulations.

The problem always originates with excessive taxation and government regulations. Ronald Reagan was right. Government is the problem.

you realize taxes actually fund city services, functioning court systems, schools, libraries, clean drinking water, infrastructure improvements, public transportation, police and fire, parks, cultural programming, health services, and other benefits that you get to enjoy and also make the city an attractive place for people/companies to relocate to (and which existing citizens/companies get to utilize), correct? or are you of the mind all of those things should be privatized as well?

the burden is on citizens when the richest and most powerful corporations in the history of mankind expect near non-existent taxes to service the infrastructural stresses they create. because clearly subsidizing "corporate citizens" at the expense of providing services for the working class is what we should be focused on as a society. wont somebody think of Amazons earnings call this quarter! guess what, you want to locate your company in a location with a talented workforce and a high quality of life, you have to pay for it. or feel free to move (guess what, wherever that happens to be is going to likely require something similar.).

[pizzaguy]

https://youtu.be/-Yh8b5TDZ4c#t=305s

Geezers gonna geezer I guess. Next time I reference a TV Show I’ll make sure it was recorded before color TV. I know how much you folks hate color.

[The North One]

Originally Posted by skyscraper

troll much?

No, just the truth.

[Eightball]

Originally Posted by Via Chicago

you realize taxes actually fund city services, functioning court systems, schools, libraries, clean drinking water, infrastructure improvements, public transportation, police and fire, parks, cultural programming, health services, and other benefits that you get to enjoy and also make the city an attractive place for people/companies to relocate to (and which existing citizens/companies get to utilize), correct? or are you of the mind all of those things should be privatized as well?

the burden is on citizens when the richest and most powerful corporations in the history of mankind expect near non-existent taxes to service the infrastructural stresses they create. because clearly subsidizing "corporate citizens" at the expense of providing services for the working class is what we should be focused on as a society. wont somebody think of Amazons earnings call this quarter! guess what, you want to locate your company in a location with a talented workforce and a high quality of life, you have to pay for it. or feel free to move (guess what, wherever that happens to be is going to likely require something similar.).

Nah a ton of government money is wasted on pensions for past/current employees and golden plated healthcare for the same set. For example over 20 percent of the entire city of LA goes to these benefits. A huge problem which crowds out performing the tasks you stated. So we don't have the funds to house the homeless, fix streets etc despite a booming economy and high taxes. Link: http://www.latimes.com/projects/la-me-pension-squeeze/

[Shawn]

Originally Posted by JManc

I bought my couch at Rooms-To-Go but I agree with him.

Nitori, IDC Otsuka, and IKEA for me, but I also agree with him.

It's fun to shit on big, profitable companies - and they make it easy to do from time to time - but the reality on the ground is always bigger and more complex than the picture we envision and then debate about on the internet. Amazon is an entire ecosystem that extends well past Amazon itself. They're like a major auto manufacturer in that their supply chain, web of semi or fully-dedicated vendors, their media etc. employ multiples above and beyond what Amazon does alone. Like, 10-15x as much.

[pizzaguy]

The federal govt employs more people than Amazon but I don't see the same set rushing to defend that institution.

[Shawn]

Originally Posted by pizzaguy

The federal govt employs more people than Amazon but I don't see the same set rushing to defend that institution.

Which "set"?

[pizzaguy]

Originally Posted by Shawn

Which "set"?

Conservative douchebags

[Shawn]

I defended Amazon - as did a few other long-time forum members whose political persuasions are well known here - and none of us are conservatives. Of the douchebag variety or otherwise.

[Reverberation]

So here’s the question:

If you’re Seattle, what do you provide that Amazon (or the tech industry as a whole) can’t get somewhere else? Speaking for myself, I love Seattle. I’d be quite happy living there and enjoying the scenery and proximity to all of the plate tectonic action. But I don’t totally orient my identity around where I live so at a certain point it could be more hassle than it’s worth (ex: Bay Area). If you’re the CEO of a public company, and you go to your board or to your shareholders and say: “Well, we’re taking a haircut by $5,000,000 annually against our earnings and it drops our company’s payout to investors... but when I look out my office window at the Puget Sound and can see the Orcas smashing and the Olympics on the horizon...”