Some of the largest corporations and richest humans in the world are working with fringe groups to advance a trickle-down anti-tax agenda. they're investing big in a campaign to mislead voters in an effort to get themselves yet another tax cut.

Here's five key things you need to know about Seattle's big business tax for affordable housing:

1. Seattle is facing a housing affordability & public health crisis.

Low wage jobs and high rent are closely tied to homelessness — about half of people don't even have $400 saved up for an emergency, so skyrocketing rent means that one bit of bad luck can threaten the loss of housing entirely. That's a big part of why there are thousands of people in our city without a place to call home. Last year, 169 people in the Seattle area died without a place to call home.

2. The largest corporations in our city need to do their part too.

While the rapid growth of high-paying jobs at big corporations has brought big money into the city, it's also driven up rent and other costs for the rest of us. Big corporations just got a huge tax cut from the Federal government — more than $700 million in free money for Amazon alone.  Just like we all pay our taxes and do our part, the largest businesses in the city should also pay towards helping address our homelessness and affordable housing crisis. 

3. The 600 or so largest businesses in the city are the only ones that will pay the tax — not fast food workers, not construction workers, not you, and not anyone you know.

The tax only applies to businesses with more than $20 million in revenue, and it's the best option the city has to make sure we get the resources we need from the big businesses that can most afford it. Big businesses are investing so much money to overturn this tax because they know they're the ones who will be paying the bill, and they don't want to be held repsonsible

4. The well-funded backlash to the big business tax isn't about money, it's about power.

We know the backlash stoked by the wealthy few isn't about the cost of this tax, because $275 a year is far too small to make a difference to their bottom line. Giant corporations simple don't want to do their part. So they're working with fringe extremist groups to create a climate of hatred towards poor people to advance a trickle-down agenda and try to undermine the very idea that government has a role to play to address income inequality and our housing crisis. Because that way, they're in charge, and the rest of don't have a say.

5. Seattle has to decide if the city's soul is for sale.

From the city’s groundbreaking housing levy to paid sick days to the $15 minimum wage, each time Seattle has taken a bold step to address income inequality, our community has thrived, and the trickle-down agenda has been proven wrong. Now they’re trying to use threats and lies as a power play to get their way and revive their failed trickle-down agenda. We have a choice before us:

• Is Seattle a playground of the rich, where corporations and the top 1% run the show?
• Or do the people of the city run our city, so that corporations are made to do their part to address our housing crisis?
   

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