Big Corporations Pledge To Fund Seattle Head Tax Repeal Effort

SEATTLE, WA - Some of the largest companies based in Western Washington - and some based elsewhere - have pledged to donate more than $353,000 to get Seattle's head tax repealed by ballot measure.

The No Tax On Jobs initiative would ask Seattle voters to vote for or against the head tax this November. The campaign has to collect 17,000 signatures to get the measure on the ballot, and it will need a lot of cash quickly to hire people to beat the June deadline.

Companies based in Seattle like Amazon, Starbucks, and Vulcan (Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen's company) are all behind the initiative. But so are companies from outside Seattle. The Washington Food Industry Association has made the single largest pledge, but grocery giants Kroger (Cincinnati) and Albertsons (Boise) are also chipping in.

Bellevue developer Robert Wallace and Bellevue-based Silver Cloud Hotels are also backing the measure.

The Seattle City Council unanimously passed head tax legislation on May 14. The tax will charge businesses with $20 million or more in annual revenue $275 per employee per year. The proceeds will be used for homeless services. Mayor Jenny Durkan has declined to sign a revenue plan for the tax proceeds, so how the money will be used is still up for negotiation.

Here's the list of companies and people pledging to donate (no one has actually given money to the campaign yet, according to state campaign finance records - these are pledges only):

• Albertsons - $25,000
• Amazon - $25,000
• John Bredvik - $500
• Suzie Burke (owner of commercial waterfront property in Fremont) - $5,000
• Jim Burnett - $1,000
• John Carey - $250
• Mike Carr - $275
• CenturyLink - $10,000
• Clise Properties - $7,500
• Columbia Hospitality - $5,000
• Cotton and Cockleburs - $200
• Dick's Drive-In - $5,000
• Gary East - $100
• Edgewater - $1,500
• Fabriform - $1,000
• Frank Finneran - $1,000
• Fisheries Supply - $10,000
• Global Diving - $5,000
• Stan Harrelson (manager, S&M Investments LLC) - $10,000
• Holland Partner Group - $20,000
• Hunters Capital - $1,500
• International Parking Management - $10,000
• Interstate Property - $1,000
• Kroger - $25,000
• Lease Crutcher Lewis - $3,000
• James Maiocco (co-leading initiative, CBDO at Redmond-based PushPay) - $5,000
• Markey Machinery - $1,000
• Maxum Petroleum - $2,500
• Matt McIlwain (manager at Madrona Venture Group, a venture capital firm that has invested in local startups like Aptio and SmartSheet) - $5,000
• Chad McKay - $3,000
• Merlino Foods - $3,000
• Steve Murch - $200
• NBBJ - $5,000
• Northwest Marine Trade Association - $2,500
• Pacific Fisherman's Shipyard - $2,500
• Palladian Hotel - $250
• PMSA - $2,500
• Security Properties - $5,000
• Silver Cloud Hotels - $1,000
• Martin Smith - $10,000
• Starbucks - $25,000
• STT Sports Lettering - $500
• Uwajamaya - $5,000
• Vigor - $2,500
• Visit Seattle - $5,000
• Vulcan - $25,000
• Robert Wallace - $2,500
• Washington Food Industry Association - $30,000
• Howard Wright - $25,000
• Wright Runstad Co. - $10,000

Caption: Clockwise from left: Vulcan's Paul Allen, Amazon's Jeff Bezos, and Starbucks Chairman Howard Schultz.

Photos via Getty Images