“Last Wednesday, July 1st, the Seattle City Council voted 7-2 in its Budget Committee for a tax on Amazon and big business that will raise an estimated $240 million annually! This is a historic victory for working people and the direct result of the pressure of our grassroots movement which collected 27,000 signatures for an independent ballot initiative in just one month.

We won something truly groundbreaking on Wednesday, but the battle is not over yet — at this pivotal moment, our movement must remain vigilant in fighting against every corporate loophole until the last hour and ensuring the City Council finalizes the Amazon Tax at meeting.

In 2018, the City Council unanimously passed a similar Amazon Tax, only to repeal it weeks later. The only way to defend our Amazon Tax and prevent future attacks from big business is to keep up the pressure with the threat of our independent ballot initiative!

This weekend, we know that big business will be holding closed door meetings, using every tool at their disposal to try to stop, weaken or delay our Amazon Tax. This includes rolling back the two amendments our movement won to strengthen the legislation by adding $40 million in additional funding and removing the ‘sunset clause,’ which would insert an expiration date on our progressive tax. We absolutely cannot afford to slow down. 

We need all our supporters to go ALL OUT this weekend to smash our goal of 30,000 signatures. That’s why we’re hosting a FINAL MEGACANVASS this weekend to collect as many signatures as possible!

The Democratic establishment politicians and the corporate media are, of course, attempting to erase the role of our Tax Amazon movement in this victory. Check out this op-ed by Councilmember Sawant in The Nation which sets the record straight and share it on social media.”

Several of us are collecting signatures for this effort in full pandemic regalia, hand sanitizer, the works while we also collect for ballot access and an emergency Washington Single Payer health plan.