Tag Archives: taxes

Powered by its soda tax, Seattle announces $1.75M in food equity grants

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City Fruit with a big load of apples — the organization maintains partnerships with businesses including local cideries for fruit that isn’t fit for markets and donation boxes (Image: City Fruit)

The City of Seattle has announced its latest crop of food equity grants totaling $1.75 million in support across 18 groups dedicated to projects “that increase equitable access and opportunities to grow, learn about, and/or eat healthy, affordable, and culturally relevant foods.”

The grants are funded by Seattle’s Sweetened Beverage Tax of up to $.0175 per ounce on the sale of most soda pop and energy drinks in the city.

Seattle’s Food Equity Fund started in 2021 “in response to recommendations from the Sweetened Beverage Tax Community Advisory Board to increase investments in community work led by those who experience the most food and health inequities: Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) communities, immigrants, refugees, low-income individuals, families with young children, youth, and elders.”

The 2025 grants announced this summer include $100,000 to Black Dollar Days Task Force/Clean Greens Farm and Market to provide up to 70 free food boxes this fall and next summer, and $97,207 to City Fruit to strengthen its model for gleaning and redistributing fruit. A full roster of 2025 grants is below. Continue reading →

City council hears update on Seattle’s improving — but still weakened — economic forecast

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The economic forecast has improved at Seattle City Hall and a looming budget deficit may end up smaller than originally predicted, according to an analysis presented Wednesday morning at Seattle City Council’s Finance, Native Communities, and Tribal Governments Committee.

At the core of the changes are decisions over which “scenario” city analysts should build from — the most “pessimistic” models including high impacts from threatened tariffs and job loss or the “optimistic” view fueled by gains in the tech stock market and “significantly lower” inflation. Continue reading →

Seattle voters to decide in November if city cuts B&O for small businesses, boosts taxes on Amazon, Starbucks, and ‘many other hometown companies’

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Seattle voters will decide in November on changes hoped to boost small businesses while generating new revenue for the city.

In a special Monday meeting, the Seattle City Council approved the so-called “Seattle Shield Initiative” proposal that would exempt any business generating less than $2 million a year from the city’s B&O tax while raising the tax rate on the city’s most prosperous companies like Amazon and Starbucks. The proposal would eliminate or reduce the tax for around 90% of Seattle businesses while generating an estimated $81 million in new revenue.

Mayor Bruce Harrell signed the legislation following Monday’s vote putting the proposal on track to appear on the November ballot for the city’s voters. Continue reading →

Council’s Nelson wants some of Seattle’s potential public safety sales tax bump to go to drug counseling

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Nelson held a news conference to announce the potential $8.75 million initiative

Seattle City Council president Sara Nelson wants to use a newly authorized sales tax bump to pay for drug counseling.

Nelson says her new “progressive public safety initiative” would direct 25% of a new tenth of a cent sales tax authorized by the state legislature for cities to pay for public safety services to “shore up ‘pathways to recovery’ through investment in critical addiction treatment services.”

If implemented, the public safety sales tax increase would generate over $35 million annually, Nelson’s office says, with a quarter of that going to support counseling and treatment services. Continue reading →

A ‘fairer tax system’ — To overcome Trump-fueled economic turmoil, Seattle proposes four-year break for smallest businesses, big bump for biggest

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(Image: City of Seattle)

Seattle’s centrist mayor is teaming up with the city council’s most progressive member on a business tax proposal they say will boost the city’s small and medium businesses while helping overcome a projected $251 million budget shortfall. Voters could decide on the temporary, four-year change this fall.

Mayor Bruce Harrell and Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck unveiled the proposal Wednesday that would make any business generating less than $2 million a year exempt from the city’s B&O tax while raising the tax rate on the city’s most prosperous companies.

“This plan would reduce taxes for 90% of Seattle businesses while raising a needed $90 million to protect city investments against Trump threats to federal funding and to our local economy,” Harrell said in the announcement. Continue reading →

Council school levy committee debates amendments to $1.3 billion renewal proposal

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The Seattle City Council’s school levy committee is meeting Thursday morning as it prepares legislation to put a proposed $1.3 billion renewal on the fall ballot.

$235 million earmarked for school safety investments in the plan has become one center of debate as the city weighs a possible return of Seattle Police officers assigned to campuses. CHS reported here on the proposal to add a “School Engagement Officer” on Garfield High School’s campus as soon as this fall.

Thursday, the Select Committee on Families, Education, Preschool, and Promise Levy is hearing public comment on the levy and the public safety elements of the plan. Continue reading →

Seattle preparing $186M a year early learning and childcare levy for November ballot

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The city is preparing a $1.3 billion renewal of its early learning levy for the November ballot. A Seattle City Council committee heard an update on the proposal Thursday as it works to finalize legislation to put the decision on the levy to voters.

The first seven-year, $69.2 million levy, commonly known as the Families and Education Levy, was approved in November 1990 with support from 56% of the voters, the city says. A $619 million update was passed by voters in 2018. The proposal being lined up for consideration next would grow the program significantly with a planned $1.3 billion program over six years funded by a tax of $0.61 per $1,000 assessed value on property in the city. Continue reading →

Seattle’s ‘Pessimistic Scenario Forecast’ has city looking at tightened belts, ‘new revenue solutions’

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If you think your retirement plans look bad after the last few months, check out the latest forecast for the City of Seattle’s revenue sources. The latest analysis shows revenues for City Hall missing the mark by $244 million over the next two years. Mayor Bruce Harrell is talking belt tightening. The Seattle City Council’s leading progressive and most junior member is talking about “new revenue solutions” and will be holding a series of town hall this summer “to hear directly from constituents.”

“The revenue forecast released today presents a dire challenge that requires immediate action. This shortfall is real, it’s significant, and it threatens critical essential services that Seattle residents depend on daily,” Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck said in a statement. Continue reading →

Seattle City Council preparing proposal for larger $4.5M a year Democracy Voucher levy to go to voters this summer

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(Image: CHS)

The Seattle City Council’s Governance, Accountability, and Economic Development Committee is set to take up legislation Thursday afternoon that will put the decision on a proposed new $4.5 million a year levy to fund the city’s Democracy Voucher program on the ballot.

CHS reported here on the Harrell administration proposal to renew the program first approved by voters in 2015 in hopes of helping to dampen the power of large campaign donors in the city’s politics.

The proposal from Harrell’s office would expand the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission program with a $45 million property tax over 10 years, “costing the median assessed value Seattle homeowner about $12.20 a year,” according to Harrell’s announcement.

The original $3 million a year program was estimated to cost the typical homeowner around $8 a year. Continue reading →

Strong Election Night tallies show Seattle set to approve new business tax for Social Housing plus two school levies

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(Image: House our Neighbors)

A low turnout February election apparently won’t stop Seattle from making progress on funding its new Social Housing Developer and backing the renewal of two school levies.

Election Night first tallies show voters approving a new tax to fund the city’s new housing program and, thus, rejecting a Seattle City Council backed alternative that critics said would have limited the new effort. 68% of voters in the first count approved funding the developer. More than 57.5% said the city should move forward with the new business tax.

With approval, the measure will add a 5% tax on companies for every dollar over a million paid to a Seattle employee in annual compensation including salary, stock, and bonuses to fund the city’s new public Social Housing Developer. The House our Neighbors group behind the salary tax proposal says it would add up to around $50 million a year to fund the development authority and power its ability to borrow to build or acquire 2,000 units of housing over 10 years. Continue reading →