Mayor Ed Murray’s only noteworthy opponent scoffs at new sales tax
Apr 4, 2017, 10:08 AM | Updated: Apr 5, 2017, 9:37 am
Nikkita Oliver, Ed Murray’s only official opponent in Seattle’s mayoral race, is criticizing the mayor’s new plan to raise sales tax across King County.
In the Seattle Emerald, Oliver penned an Op-Ed pointing to her homelessness solution and criticizing Murray’s flip-flop on a property tax to help solve the crisis. He proposed the sales tax alongside King County Executive Dow Constantine on Monday.
Related: Devastating tax defeat for Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, homelessness
“Now, the Mayor wants to move on an equally regressive King County-wide tax which will disproportionately impact low-income families and communities of color,” Oliver wrote.
His “impulsive behavior” and “no effective action” leads Oliver and her Peoples Party to believe that Murray has no vision in ending homelessness in Seattle, let alone in King County.
Oliver, who officially launched her mayoral campaign over the weekend, promised to stay the course in the midst of pushback. Her party’s strategy to solve the city’s homeless crisis involves using advisement from Barb Poppe, whom Seattle paid $80,000 as a homelessness consultant.
Oliver and her party promise daytime access to shelters, communication with communities for placement of Navigation centers, progressive tax structures, luxury taxes on corporations, and consideration of the “so-called ‘Trump-proof Tax’ on our wealthier Seattleites.”
The Trump-Proof Seattle campaign is proposing a tax of 1.5 percent on income that exceeds $250,000 per year.
“We can fight back by requiring the wealthiest households to pay a fairer share of taxes.”
The campaign estimates it could raise $125 million per year in Seattle. There will be a Town Hall on April 14 to showcase the proposal. Councilmember Mike O’Brien is expected to attend, according to the Trump-Proof Seattle campaign.
