Sawant amid employee tax debate: ‘Shame on Amazon’

SEATTLE -- As a controversial new tax races toward a vote in the Seattle City Council, anger on both sides have reached a boiling point.

On Wednesday, those for and against a new tax on big business packed Seattle City Hall for a final chance at public testimony before a scheduled committee vote on Friday.

An hour earlier, Councilwoman Kshama Sawant joined Brandi Kruse on “Q13 News This Morning” for an in-depth interview on the proposal, which she has fought to have passed.

If passed by the full council on Monday, the tax would be levied against more than 500 of the city’s highest earning companies, with the resulting revenue being spent on homelessness and affordable housing.

In an open letter Tuesday, more than 100 leaders in the business community called the proposal “misguided” and urged the council to vote it down.

Chef Ethan Stowell of Ethan Stowell Restaurants is among those concerned about the impact such a tax could have. He joined “Q13 News This Morning” to respond to accusations from Councilwoman Sawant that the business community is not doing enough to pull Seattle out of its affordability crisis.