Seattle mayor waves ‘bye’ to millionaires as Starbucks flees to Nashville
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Seattle’s new socialist mayor is driving the rich out of the city with the help of Democrats in Washington state, and they’re laughing about it. Not because they will miss out on tax revenue from the rich, but because the rich are not the only target.
In early May, Mayor Katie Wilson attended an event at Seattle University and was asked if she believed progressive taxes were an “easy” solution to the district’s fiscal problems. This question comes on the heels of Washington Democrats passing the state’s first income tax; this tax is naively described as merely a “millionaire’s tax”.
“I think the claims that millionaires will leave our state are wildly exaggerated,” he said, laughing at the cheering crowd. “And farewell to those who are leaving.”
THE SOCIALIST MAYOR’S ONE-WORD CLEAR MESSAGE TO THE RUNNING MILLIONAIRES LEADS TO THE DISCOUNT: ‘WE MADE ME CORRESPONDENCE’
The mayor of a major American city just said goodbye to the taxpayers on whom his city depends, and they thought it was funny.
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson’s staff abruptly ended an interview last week after a local news reporter pressed her about security cameras and increased gun violence in the city following a recent shooting. (David Ryder/Reuters)
Seattle’s new mayor, a self-described democratic socialist, is already doing his best to prove every critic right about what happens when you cede a major American city to the ideological left.
Wilson was running on the kind of platform that left-wing media often describes as “ambitious”: government-run grocery stores, progressive taxation, and open disdain for business. He now manages accordingly. And his final performance will tell you everything you need to know about the people who are tearing up Pacific Northwest cities right now.
WASHINGTON STATE DEMOCRATS ACCIDENTALLY EMAILED THEIR ‘RADICAL’ TAX PLANS TO THE FULL SENATE
Washington state passed one of the most aggressive tax increases in its history. Democratic Gov. Bob Ferguson enacted the so-called “Millionaires Tax” on March 30, which envisages a 9.9% tax on household income exceeding $1 million, effective from 2028.
The tax is almost certainly unconstitutional and was purposely designed that way. Washington state constitution, state Supreme Court decision in Culliton v. It has banned progressive income taxes since 1933, when it ruled in the Chase case that income was property and property should be taxed equally and could not exceed 1%.
But the nearly 1,000 pages of public records obtained by Central Square the whole plan is revealed: Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen, the bill’s sponsor, wrote in an August email: “I want to urge the Washington Supreme Court to reconsider its precedent regarding income as property.” He then sent a draft of the bill to Attorney General Noah Purcell, asking for “thoughts and comments on what would give us the best chance of repudiating Culliton.”
WASHINGTON BUSINESS OWNERS ARE AFRAID SOCIALIST ‘MILLIONAIRES TAX IS PULLING OUT BUSINESSES – AND THEY’RE NEXT’
Even more directly, Senior Counsel to the Attorney General Chuck Zalesky wrote: “It seems to me that their overall legislative goal is to have our Supreme Court overturn Culliton v. Chase.”
A recently leaked Zoom meeting shows a Democratic lawmaker admitting what conservatives are shouting about: the goal is to expand the income tax to all Washingtonians. Maybe that’s why he ignores concerns about the wealthy leaving the city or state. The aim is not to trust them for financing; It will hit us all.
However, the income tax is on top of the capital gains tax already on the books, the Business and Professional tax, which affects gross income whether you’re profitable or not, and Seattle’s nation-leading combined sales tax rate of 10.35%. Seattle recently implemented a 5% payroll tax on employer compensation exceeding $1 million per employee per year as part of its “Social Housing” tax. And There is already a payroll tax.
WHY DID STARBUCKS CHOOSE NASHVILLE OVER SEATTLE FOR EXPANSION, ACCORDING TO THE LOCAL BUSINESS REPORTER?
Seattle’s new mayor, a self-described democratic socialist, is already doing his best to prove every critic right about what happens when you cede a major American city to the ideological left.
The ink did not dry before takeoff began. Starbucks founder Howard Schultz announced that he will move to Florida. Amazon’s Jeff Bezos heads to Florida after capital gains tax goes into effect in 2023. And Starbucks (the company that Wilson literally picketed and called for a boycott after winning the election) announced it would invest $100 million and bring 2,000 new jobs to Nashville, Tennessee. Maybe Seattle Loss of tax revenue up to $750 million in conclusion.
This is the company Wilson says you “shouldn’t buy.” Now he’s enriching Tennessee instead of Washington. Being at work for 100 days isn’t bad.
“Being progressive doesn’t necessarily mean we layer spending and never stop doing things,” he told the audience. Good morning my baby. But their behavior says otherwise. He joined the picket line against Seattle’s most iconic employer. He rejoiced over a state income tax that would go to court. He said “goodbye” to millionaires whose taxes finance the city services he claims to care about.
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It’s not just the local damage he’ll do to Seattle that makes Wilson truly dangerous; a city in slow-motion collapse due to years of mismanagement; I wrote about this extensively in my book. “What’s Killing America: Inside the Radical Left’s Tragic Destruction of Our Cities.” He is compared favorably to New York City’s new socialist mayor, Zohran Mamdani, as if he were a model worth copying. These two are celebrated as the future of urban management.
Starbucks employees and supporters picket outside the former Starbucks Reserve Roastery, which closed earlier in the year, on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Here’s what saying “goodbye” to millionaires means: the ways they finance don’t fix themselves. The shelters and social programs demanded by Wilson’s coalition are not being run with good intentions. The city budget cannot be balanced by smug applause at the university forum. But maybe Wilson knows this. Maybe that’s the whole point?
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Because when millionaires leave and budget deficits grow, the taxman doesn’t disappear; it just moves down the income ladder. The leaked Zoom call was a preview. The “millionaire’s tax” was always on the doorstep. The next bracket is yours.
Starbucks realized Washington wasn’t serious about hiding them. He took 2,000 jobs and $100 million to Nashville. The mayor of Seattle thought this was funny. Seattle residents might want to consider whether they can really afford to laugh along with him.
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