Seattle voters were backing a ballot measure Tuesday that would change which businesses bear the burden of Seattle’s taxes.
Voters were supporting the measure 67.8%, compared to 32.2% opposing, at about 8:20 p.m.
The measure outlined major shifts for Seattle’s business taxes, with 90% of businesses paying less and 10% shelling out more. While small businesses can breathe a sigh of relief, companies flush with revenue are responsible for coughing up more money.
First proposed by Mayor Bruce Harrell and Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck, the measure made the November ballot following a Seattle City Council vote in August. It came at a time when the threat of a deficit of millions of dollars for this year and next year looms over the city government.
After the ballot measure takes effect, city estimates suggest it could rake in an additional $80 million annually for Seattle.
In the lead up to the election, the tax proposal caused controversy in the business community, with grocery stores, hospitals, restaurants and more worried that their earnings would be impacted. Notably, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and Seattle Children’s Hospital are both excluded from the measure.
Small businesses are the ballot measure’s real winners.
“These are the coffee shops where they get your oat milk latte just right, the family restaurants where they know you want 3 stars on your Pad Thai, the bookstore that has staff recommendations on what you should read next,” Rinck said in an August statement.
Material from The Seattle Times archives was used in this story.
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