Tax Amazon: Funding for COVID-19 Relief & the Housing Crisis! Dear Seattle City Councilmembers and Mayor Durkan: The coronavirus crisis, a worldwide pandemic, is ravaging our communities and putting at risk the lives and health of thousands in our city. In addition to the direct threat to people’s lives from COVID-19, working people and those marginalized in our society to begin with, are the ones most at risk from the vast spectrum of social consequences resulting from this pandemic. Workers are seeing reduced, and even entirely eliminated, paychecks. Many will find it difficult if not impossible to fulfill their daily needs, let alone pay the rent or mortgage beginning next month. A study last year found that 60 percent of Americans are unable to cover an unexpected $1,000 expense. Meanwhile, the lack of Medicare for All and utter failure of Trump to address the crisis has put millions at risk across the country. It would be unconscionable to place the further burden of the Coronavirus crisis on ordinary working people and those who are already most economically stressed. As our city’s elected representatives, you have the responsibility to immediately take all steps necessary to address this crisis. That’s why we join Councilmembers Tammy Morales and Kshama Sawant in calling for an immediate enactment of the Amazon Tax they have already proposed, but passing the ordinance immediately in order to fund the emergency needs of our community. Among our immediate needs are cash assistance including for lost incomes of working people, urgent funds for testing and treatment, tiny house villages for homeless neighbors, and relief for struggling small businesses hit by COVID-19. Big business has long been enjoying a tax haven in Seattle and Washington state. They need to immediately start paying at least $500 million/year as the Amazon Tax to fund COVID-19 emergency relief fund. After the pandemic has ended, the tax must be continued to fund social housing and the Green New Deal in order to address our critical housing and climate crises, as put forward by Councilmembers Sawant and Morales and the Tax Amazon movement. (Optional) In your own words, why we need to tax big business now to fund COVID- First name Last name 19 relief and the housing crisis: Because many of us don't have the ability to work from home or earn additional income to Cole Aaronson pay our own rent and other bills, and despite the pandemic, big businesses should be doing this anyway so they may take responsibility for ruining the living wage of seattle. Marie Abaya Kelly Abba We need to tax big businesses IN GENERAL but especially during these times of crisis in Jenna Abbassi order to support the workers and folks whose lives are being placed on hold to promote safety and health among the community. Carmen Abbe Prior to the pandemic, many of my friends and colleagues in the art and performance community in Seattle were living on the margins—resorting to selling items from their personal wardrobes from time to time in order to make ends meet. Now with an exponential loss of wages, gigs, and opportunities currently and projected into the future, many are struggling and worried about how they will survive. Providing people with stable affordable housing is a key component to mental health and and An individuals sense of safety and security—Seattle has already failed to provide this, and this situation has only been made more dire by Covid19. On the other hand, many in the city are sitting pretty because they have corporate jobs and are adequately funded by companies that have Janelle Abbott been massively absorbing and withholding wealth for their own benefit. They are able to work from home, through this crisis, because of their position within the tech industry. The disparity is striking and it’s sickening. In times of heightened emergency, heightened awareness needs to be placed on the vulnerable, and aggressive actions must be taken. Tax Amazon now. Distribute those funds to those already homeless, those on the verge of homelessness, and those who’s jobs have been stolen, stunted, or silenced because of this pandemic. Do something. Do it now. Don’t let people suffer unduly because you’re scared of upsetting Amazon and Bezos. Loosen the strangle hold they have on this city and make them work for US! Ramy Abdel-Azim Because we the working class pay our fair share of taxes, why should the big business Hamdi Abdinur come be exempt from it. If they threaten to take business away from Washington, invest in local businesses. Fatuma Abdullahi Mohamed Abegaz Please help everyone today we all self Quadratine Melanie Abell It is time Amazon paid for all their years of paying little to no taxes, while enjoying utterly Bill Abelson mammoth profits. They also put lots of small businesses OUT of business. Time for them to pay their karma, Kshama. My industry is completely collapsing (massage therapy) and I am unable to work while keeping with the CDCs recommendations. It is unknown how soon it will be that it will be safe for people to receive massage, and all of my income has evaporated. Since our federal government is more focused on giving tax breaks to billionare corporations and injecting taxpayer dollars into a failing stock market, local governments need to step up Charylie Abernathy and support their citizens in any way they know how. No one can handle any more property taxes. The small amount of taxation on Amazon that nearly passed (until people were likely bribed) is more likely to receive even more public support--and this is hail mary time. Please support this measure in order to protect and support citizens while they try not to become homeless! Tom Abernathy Andrea Abraham We are all in this together!!! Help out in any what you can no matter who you are!! Sarah Abreu We cannot allow practically everyone to experience financial ruin. NK Acevedo Morge Ackerman It’s their responsibility to pay back and keep working people afloat during this time. Wendy Acosta-Elbandagji They’ve received bailouts and tax breaks for many many years. Abdulrahman Adam Martin Adams And how about a 1/10 cent tax on every stock buy or sell? Megan Adams equity and sustainability My two month old an myself are now in an unstable crisis with Covid-19 happening to our community. Only being 2 months postpartum and in social isolation with no work and the stress of how I will continue to provide a safe space for us to live is anxiety filled. We need a system in place not just for COVID-19 yet all the time. This is our chance to change the way our broken systems have not been working. Let's start now and make life an equal for Shakira Adams those who are really struggling and putting their efforts in to contribute to this society. People are being hit extremely hard right now, and Amazon has a huge responsibility as a John Adams company that has had a large impact on its community without giving back in a meaningful way (and without paying taxes) to help the community it is ostensibly a part of. CATHERINE ADAMS Tyler Adams Shakira Adams Jennifer Adamson Athena Addams cole addams Percy Addams Because our community must use every available resource to stop the spread of COVID- Athena Addams 19 Steven Addison Steven Addison Lauren Addotta I don’t know how to explain to you that you should care about other people Duncan Adelaide Grace Adler How can people self quarantine if they have no home? Celena Adler We need Amazon to demonstrate its concern and care for the city it calls home by directly Simone Adler investing in these solutions. Aneelah Afzali Taylor Agajanian Because citizens forced out of work need to survive Damon Agnos Robert Aguigui santino aguilar Lots of revenue not being utilized for tax to benefit the general public. Myself and my partner are out of a job because we work in the food service industry. By Brenna Aguilar May we won’t be able to pay rent. santino aguilar Sarah A'Hearn Everyone should pay their fare share They will be bailed out by the government, Trump has made that clear in every press conference. All he cares about is how the economy is faring, not about the real numbers Saqib Ahmad or the health of "his" people. This cannot continue. Nausheen Ahmed Gianni Aiello Christina Ainsworth Salem Ajluni Tax wealth; protect health! For too many years we have let multibillion dollar business operate tax free with corporate tax loopholes and incentives. It’s time to hold these businesses accountable and ask that Haris Akhtar they assist in infusing our fragile housing and medical resources with a much needed injection of funding immediately. aftab alam We need to lift the weakest for healthier society aftab alam Paula Albaneze Andrew Albenze Nellie Albertson Antonio Albright It is extremely important that the large corporations and the billionaires give back significant amounts of the money that they extracted out of the workers and the economy through stock buy backs and other forms of corporate socialism (such as amazon contracts for Recognition and drones tech ect. with our military which is our tax dollars. And stock buybacks ect. ) better for them to give of some of the extracted wealth before Demetri Albright it’s too late and in the end we force them to give up all of it.. ‍♂‍ Krista Albu Adriana Alcala Joanne Alcantara With all of the event cancellations and restaurant shutdowns, thousands of people are now out of work with no way to pay their bills.