Amazon has a big middle finger today for all the low-priced housing advocator out there . concord to a Wednesday report in theNew York Times , Amazon — Seattle ’s largest employer with 45,000 staff in the metropolis — has dead determine to arrest a “ huge ” two - building , 7,000 employee expansion plan there after the City Council foretell it was considering a new tax to fund low-priced trapping .
The ordinance would initially be $ 500 per employee for companies with over $ 20 million in revenue , and in 2021 would transition that example to a payroll revenue enhancement that perhaps could be “ significantly more . ” The goal is to grow an estimate $ 75 million to work up some 1,800 affordable trapping units and investment firm services for the stateless , and urban center officials are reportedly stun that Amazon has reacted so powerfully and with such little monition :
Late Wednesday first light , Drew Herdener , an Amazon spokesman , said that “ pending the result of the head tax vote by City Council , Amazon has paused all building planning ” on a orotund building in business district Seattle that was scheduled to begin construction later on this year . Mr. Herdener also say Amazon was “ evaluating options ” to lease out space it had be after to apply in another construction that is already move up elsewhere downtown .
The decision direct city official and developer by surprisal . In a statement , Seattle ’s city manager said she was alarmed by Amazon ’s announcement and add that she plan to work with members of Seattle ’s business organisation , proletariat and community leaders in the coming days to find common ground . The council is bear to vote on the revenue enhancement proposition on May 14 .
Seattle city councilman Mike O’Brien told the composition that “ They ’re not really asking for anything . They ’re just telling us what they ’re decease to do … I take to run a city that has room for prosperous business , but does n’t do it at the expense of people getting push into poverty . ”
It ’s potential the sudden annunciation to potentially abandon the projects is a “ negociate tactic to avail extract concessions from the council , ” the Times lend . But this is not a good looking at for a corporate giant that just send over$50 billion first - quarter revenuein 2018 , that would only have to ab initio pony up $ 20 - 30 million annually under the revenue enhancement , and has long been incriminate of payingeven its own employeeswell under the amount necessary to secure living accommodations at market rate .
CEO Jeff Bezos ispersonally worth $ 130 billionand makes $ 107 million a day .
Seattle is undergo ahousing crisis , according to Seattle Magazine , with just tons of mostly ultra - expensive homes for sales agreement in an urban center of 88,000 people , and median abode prices rising 19 percent per yr . Seattle is the 22nd - largest metropolis in the US , but has the third largest homeless universe , fit in to Politico — and its rocket base Mary Leontyne Price and split are fuel by an influx of rough 100,000 young tech jobs since the remainder of the Great recessional that ’s ascertain just 32,000 newfangled dwellings built in response .
This is at the same time that Amazon just get anearly $ 800 million windfallfrom Republican - backed federal tax cuts . It ’s also still running its countrywide search for a 2d HQ that has mostly entailed come across which metropolis governments are willing to debase themselves the most in the form ofjaw - degenerate sweetheart revenue enhancement deals . Those city might want to take a note of this and wonder whether they ’d be get a honest incorporated citizen .
[ New York Times ]
Affordable housingAmazonhomelessnessTechnology
Daily Newsletter
Get the best tech , scientific discipline , and culture news in your inbox day by day .
News from the future , delivered to your present tense .
You May Also Like
