Recently, Councilmembers Burgess and Conlin and Mayor Nickels proposed repealing the “Head Tax” (aka “Employee Hours Tax”). This tax costs businesses, on average, only $91 for an entire year and only taxes employees who drive by themselves to work. Some have suggested it should be called a “Wheel tax” or “SOV tax” instead.
This funding, which adds up to $4.6 million dollars a year, helps pay for much-needed improvements to bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure and other street improvements in neighborhoods across Seattle.
These improvements make it safer for our children to walk to school and in their neighborhood. They help our seniors to continue to be mobile. They also ensure the health of our business districts and other community places. Our Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plans are underfunded and would benefit from this funding as well.
Please help us keep these funds!
What you can do:
–Email Councilmembers and Mayor Nickels (see contacts below) before August 20th, the date that the Head Tax will be discussed in the budget committee. Tell them:
1) Please keep the Head Tax!
2) Why it’s important to you — do you care about transportation choices? The environment and climate change? Safe environments in our city? Healthier Seattleites that are more active?
3) We need even more than $4.6 million for bicycle and pedestrian programs and projects, but retaining this tax would a step in the right direction.
–After you’ve sent your email, please let us know you’ve contacted elected officials by emailing us at: dontloseyourheadtax@gmail.com.
–Are you on Facebook? Join the Facebook Group “Don’t Lose your Head Tax”.
Councilmember contacts:
sally.clark@seattle.gov,
richard.conlin@seattle.gov,
richard.mciver@seattle.gov,
jan.drago@seattle.gov,
tim.burgess@seattle.gov,
bruce.harrell@seattle.gov,
nick.licata@seattle.gov,
jean.godden@seattle.gov,
tom.rasmussen@seattle.gov
Contact the Mayor:
http://www.seattle.gov/mayor/citizen_response.htm
Thank you!
The $91 average raises lots of questions for me. As a former mathematics teacher, I interested in statistical respresentation in arguments. I'd love to know the mean, median and mode averages of this tax (which one is the $91?) as well as the range of amounts paid. There could be lots of zeros on one end and potentially big numbers on the other end. Does some one know or have a link we readers can go to, particularly if we can't go to the Aug.13 discussion?
Barbara Peterson