Sunday March 15, 2020
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.
