Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson laughed and appeared to encourage the notion that millionaires may depart the state of Washington whereas discussing her help for a progressive tax throughout an interview earlier this month.
“I feel the claims that millionaires are going to go away our state are, like, tremendous overblown. And if — those that depart, like, bye,” she mentioned, which prompted cheers and laughter from the viewers on the Seattle College occasion, Seattle College Conversations, which occurred on April 14.
Wilson was requested if she believed progressive taxes have been an “straightforward” and “promising” answer to the tax local weather within the space. She mentioned she by no means thought they have been straightforward, however mentioned she was excited concerning the millionaire tax that handed within the state.
“Usually, we nonetheless have the very regressive tax system, and my workplace is doing lots of work to have a look at what our choices are by way of progressive taxation,” she mentioned. “We do have extra flexibility on the metropolis, on the county, by way of our taxing authority. And on the similar time, I imagine what I mentioned earlier than, which is that, it’s not good for Seattle’s enterprise surroundings, for instance, for the price of doing enterprise in downtown Seattle to be wildly out of step with, as an illustration, neighboring Bellevue,” she mentioned.
Wilson mentioned that she was taking a look at progressive tax choices that don’t enhance the price of using folks in Seattle.
“Now we have a big structural funds deficit on the metropolis that we’re going to have to determine cope with on this upcoming funds cycle,” she added. “And my funds workplace, funds employees are onerous at work attempting to determine each how we are able to use our income as successfully and effectively as doable. And I feel related chorus to the chief, proper, if there are packages that aren’t fulfilling their promise that aren’t working, like we’re not going to be afraid to finish them, proper?”
“And so I feel that being a progressive doesn’t essentially imply that we preserve layering on spending, and we by no means cease doing issues, proper?” Wilson continued. “So I feel it’s — that’s actually essential. And on the similar time, we most likely aren’t going to wish new income.”
The Seattle mayor was elected in November 2025 and has been in comparison with New York Metropolis Mayor Zohran Mamdani, as they’re each democratic socialists.
Wilson defeated Seattle’s incumbent Mayor Bruce Harrell in November. Like Mamdani, she has overtly campaigned on progressive concepts equivalent to government-run grocery shops, regardless of their “document of failure,” The Washington Submit editorial board wrote on the time.
Fox 13 Seattle reported earlier this month that the Emerald Metropolis “may lose as much as $750 million in tax income within the coming years as Starbucks expands in Tennessee as an alternative of Washington.”
In a press launch Tuesday, Starbucks introduced it is going to make investments $100 million and produce 2,000 new jobs to Nashville.
Wilson, after successful the mayoral election in 2025, joined a Starbucks protest picket line, and mentioned, “That’s the reason I’m proud to hitch them on their picket line and proud to say loud and clear, I’m not shopping for Starbucks and you shouldn’t both,” in line with KUOW.
Based on the Tax Basis, Seattle has the best mixed state and native gross sales tax price, sitting at 10.35%.
Seattle surpassed town of Tacoma, Washington, which had a ten.3 % tax price, when King County, the place Seattle is situated, adopted a 0.1% further gross sales tax to generate further income for nonprofits offering cultural programming, in line with the Tax Basis.
Fox Information’ Rachel del Guidice and Nikolas Lanum contributed to this report.
