Articles about JumpStart Tax

In effort to diversify economy and build resilience, Seattle Mayor names 18 leaders to new task force

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson has assembled a new task force of business, labor and industry leaders to tackle the city’s economic challenges, with a focus on diversifying the economy, attracting and retaining companies, and making it easier to do business in Seattle. Read More

Seattle’s tax burden shifted to business as jobs slipped away, new report finds

A new joint report from the Downtown Seattle Association and the Seattle Metro Chamber shows city tax collections nearly tripling since 2013, surging far past population and job growth as the tax burden shifts heavily onto a small pool of major employers. Read More

Report: Downtown Seattle lost 13,000 jobs in a year, while Bellevue’s tech hub boomed

Seattle lost 18,000 jobs between 2024 and 2025—with 70% concentrated downtown—while Bellevue added over 5,300, according to new Downtown Seattle Association data. Amid business claims that the JumpStart payroll tax is driving tech across the lake, Mayor Katie Wilson has moved to freeze tax rates in her new budget to give employers stability amid broader industry shifts. Read More

Seattle economic study finds strong tech assets, a risky concentration, and a tax that ‘penalizes’ hiring

An independent study commissioned by the City of Seattle says the city should protect the big tech employers it has while building a more diverse economy on top of them. The 127-page report also says Seattle’s tax structure is unique among its peers in penalizing the hiring of senior, high-compensation workers. Read More

Five years in, new analysis links Seattle’s ‘JumpStart’ tax to downtown decline

A new Downtown Seattle Association report says the city’s JumpStart payroll tax has helped drive jobs and office value out of downtown over its first five years, pointing to booming Bellevue as the contrast. Supporters, including Mayor Katie Wilson, call the tax a success. Read More