Seattle repeals tax after Amazon fights back

The Associated Press

SEATTLE» Seattle leaders on Tuesday repealed a tax on large companies such as Amazon and Starbucks after a backlash from businesses, a stark reversal from a month ago when the City Council unanimously approved the effort to combat a growing homelessness crisis.

The council voted 7-2 after supporters and opponents packed a meeting with signs saying, “Tax Amazon, housing for all” and “No tax on jobs,” with some shouting for more time to discuss the issue.

The vote showed Amazon’s ability to aggressively push back on government taxes, especially in its affluent hometown where it’s the largest employer and where some have criticized it for helping cultivate a widening income gap that is pricing lowerincome workers out of housing.

Amazon, Starbucks and others sharply criticized the tax as misguided, and the online retailer even temporarily halted construction planning on a new highrise building near its Seattle headquarters in protest.