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The Urbanist Podcast: Debunking the JumpStart Tax Holiday with Ron Davis

Ray Dubicki - April 01, 2023
Special Meeting of Seattle City Council to repeal head tax. (Seattle Channel)

In this episode, co-hosts Natalie Argerious and Ray Dubicki welcome Ron Davis to talk about a proposed JumpStart Tax Holiday in the city of Seattle. Ron last joined the pod to talk about how the city’s comprehensive planning was lacking a level of seriousness. There is a tax holiday idea floating that’s not all that different.

The JumpStart tax was passed by Seattle’s City Council in 2020 after years of attempting to find a progressive revenue stream tapping into the biggest earners and businesses in the city. Surviving a number of challenges, including the rescinded “head tax,” JumpStart raised enough revenue to build hundreds of homes and plug the city’s budget hole. Now, business interests are arguing that the city’s recovery requires large companies secure a holiday from this tax. 

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The Urbanist Podcast: Comprehensive Planning with Ron Davis
This week, let’s talk about the future of Seattle with neighborhood activist and The Urbanist guest contributor Ron Davis, who joins Ray Dubicki to talk about Seattle’s Comprehensive Plan. It can be a big, confusing mess of technocrat speak and boring stats. Is it too geeky? Yes, but we break it down for you.  Comprehensive Plans … Continue reading The Urbanist Podcast: Comprehensive Planning with Ron Davis