“Inspirational”: Seattle voters say yes to corporate tax to finance social housing – common dreams

Seattle dwellings seem to have defeated the Amazon, Microsoft and the Seattle Chamber of Commerce this week this week with the likely passing of an initiative for voting to finance social housing through a “unnecessary benefit” tax on a city business that pays more than 1 million salaries dollars.

According to the early returns for special elections on Tuesday, 68.32% of voters supported social housing funding, and 57.55% chose to finance it specifically with the proposed tax. Defenders estimate that a 5% salary tax of $ 1 million plus can raise about $ 53,000 a year for affordable homes, funding 2000 units in 10 years.

“This victory is just the last sign that Americans are fed by overpowered executives – and want to use tax policies to deal with the problem,” Sarah Anderson, Inequality.org A joint and director of the Global Economy Project at the Institute for Political Research, told Common dreamsS

For the defenders of the Seattle Housing, the whitening was a long time. While much of the country is struggling with the apartment crisis at affordable prices, the cost of housing in Seattle is about 50% higher than the national average, playing a big role in turning it into the most expensive city in the United States, according to California, according to California An analysis of 2024. Twenty-three percent of tenants in Seattle spend more than half of their home income, and Washington state has the third highest home to homeless in the United States, behind only California and New York. More than half of the country’s homeless population – or over 16,000 – spend their time in King County in Seattle.

There is also a very real sense in the city that in particular large technology enterprises are directly to blame for the high costs, as rents in the Seattle metro area increased by 17% from 2011 to 2015, as Amazon and other technological The giants previously developed the previous industrial zone of the South Lake in an office. A local colonist has even indicated the phenomenon of the Amazon effect.

House Our neighbors, a group of residential activists who first gathered in 2021 to defeat the more structure of the homeless camps, has been working on decision for years, according to In these timesS The decision they invented was a model of social housing created in places such as Vienna and Singapore, which was “removed from the motive for profit, accessible to all, constantly accessible and acting as a public good in eternity.”

“Last night’s results left no doubt that Seattle voters wanted our city to act quickly to create constantly available social housing for people living on a number this. ”

First, they were able to pass a referendum for voters in 2023, creating a new home agency at affordable prices, the developer of social housing in Seattle.

In order to finance the agency, the coalition then collected more than enough signatures to put the tax on excess compensation, first called initiative 137, at the November 2024 Presidential Election. February elections with a lower turn. After a lobbying of the Chamber of Commerce in Seattle and other business interests, the Council has introduced a competitive measure that will finance the Social Housing Agency using an existing JumpStart salaries tax, which was already intended for existing housing programs at affordable Prices and green deals.

“The City Council will rather take money from low-income programs than from millionaires and billionaires,” told local publications and director of Tiffany McCoy’s intercession to local publicationsThehe Unknown At that time.

The competitive measures were placed on the newsletter as a proposal 1a (for the tax on excess compensation) and 1b (for the alternative of the Council.) The last option was strongly promoted by Mayor of Seattle Bruce Harel. As of January 1, his campaign received more than twice as much money as the 1A campaign, such as Tech Giants Amazon and Microsoft contribute to $ 100,000 as a local retail outlet Real changeReported.

The “proposal 1A” campaign had huge odds placed in front of it, “D-43) told the State of Washington, whose area included parts of Seattle, said Common dreamsS “These were … February Special February elections in which some of the richest corporations in human history spend money to defeat it. Many of the political proxy of these corporations … also opposed 1a . ”

“Still,” he continued, “won. He won because of working people. He won because it’s good for working people.”

While many ballots are yet to be reported, 1A is currently leading 1b with a 15-point margin, according to UrbanistS

“Despite half a million dollars in the corporate expenses and the bad tactics of our City Council and Mayor, last night, the electors in Seattle have betrayed an unambiguous message: now is the time in Seattle to take bold innovative actions to welcome their housing crises and homelessness,” McCoy in a statement.

“Last night’s results left no doubt that Seattle voters wanted our city to act quickly to create constantly available social housing for people living on a number That, “McCoy continued. “This is the second time Seattle told his chosen leaders, strongly and clearly that we want social housing!”

Shere Moreno, the CEO of 350 Seattle-which helped to make the voice-disposition efforts Common Dreams: “Last night, Seattle showed that we not only want social housing, but also that we reject the policies of the strict savings of this Municipal Council, Mayor and their corporate supporters. Thank you to the hundreds of volunteers who made this happen and shelter their neighbors” ” Leadership.

Victory can make a big difference for the home in Seattle himself, although social housing defenders believe the battle is not over.

“Despite this clear term, we are fully awaiting a legal challenge from corporate interests that seek to overcome this measure,” McCoy said. “Because let’s be clear, their opposition has never been to any of the problems they have raised – it is to make sure that the biggest among us do not pay more dollars to solve the housing crisis. With two places on the Council Throughout the city and mayor, the elections appear, we hope that the elected leaders from our city will listen to their voters and will cover the upcoming work.

Beyond the boundaries of the city, however, state and national defenders also say that it has the potential to inspire a change across the country.

“I would not be surprised if we see this distribution in the” red “communities, as well as employees see such taxes used effectively to increase revenue for social programs – acquisition, which will be even more necessary in the conditions of federal abbreviations.”

Scott has introduced a state bill to increase low -income housing costs and support for the homeless, closing the corporate tax door that favors large banks.

“The City in Seattle showed us the way,” Scott said, adding that he wanted Washington to be able to support Seattle and other cities that could follow his model. The victory for a proposal1a may increase support for his bill by other legislators.

“I think it is a clear signal to the state legislators that this is something we can win, it’s popular,” he said.

And the signal should not stop at Washington State.

“Seattle can play a very important role in keeping the road for what it seems to deal with housing without correction through progressive revenue,” Scott said.

Further to the south, recently the Assembly of California Alex Lee (D-24) presented AB 11, the Social Housing Act.

“It is inspiring to see the support for social housing in Seattle,” Lee told Common dreamsS “The voters see the value in the perception of social housing as a public good, and the proposal 1a is a major step towards bringing this successful home model in the city. As we have seen in Vienna and Singapore, social housing can update homes as human law.

Anderson agreed that victory in Seattle could have national consequences, especially as far as the holding of corporations that overpay executioners to report. She noted that the surplus tax in Seattle is following the measures in San Francisco and Portland, an Oregon for the sanction of companies with large gaps between the CEO and the payment of workers.

And although these efforts have begun on the progressive West coast, there is a vote block for such policies for success in other parts of the country.

“I would not be surprised if we see this distribution in the” red “communities, as well as employees who see such taxes used effectively to increase revenue for social programs – provided, which will be even more necessary on the face of federal abbreviations” ” , Anderson told Common dreamsS “And the survey shows that taxation of companies that pay their executives are very popular – assign the political spectrum. A survey of 2024, for example, asked the voters their opinions about raising the tax on corporations that pay to their executive Director at least 50 times more than pay their average employee.

At the national level, there are three bills that need to be re -introduced this session, which seeks to cope with excessive compensation: the CEO Restriction Act (CEO), the Excessive Payment Act of the Executive Director and the Law on Reporting and Liability Act of the Executive Director.

“After these policies begin to spread to the state and local level, they will boost such bills introduced at the federal level,” Anderson said.