In order to create health and economic security for families and small businesses and help Seattle recover, the Jumpstart Seattle plan would ask companies with more than $7 million in annual payroll to pay a minuscule percentage (0.7%) on salaries above $150,000 year, with a slight increase (1.4%) for salaries at $500,000 a year or more. This minuscule tax on payroll for Seattle’s highest earners will provide a source of progressive revenue.
By asking the wealthiest businesses to pay a bit more, we can get and keep more people housed, ensure people are able to put food on the table, and invest in immigrant communities that have been deliberately left out of federal recovery programs.
This plan will raise more than $200 million to provide relief for workers, families, and small businesses, and to jumpstart economic recovery.
We must meet the scale of this unprecedented crisis with policies that are immediate, impactful, and inclusive and help mitigate the impacts of COVID and the economic crash on workers, families, and small businesses, including:
● Rent stabilization and immediate housing assistance for unhoused families.
● Expanded nutrition assistance vouchers to help struggling families put food on the table from local grocers.
● Direct grants to small business owners.
● Direct assistance for immigrants and refugees who were intentionally excluded from Federal CARES Act aid and are ineligible for unemployment insurance.
For more details about our plan to Jumpstart Seattle’s economy, click here.