Comment by Alex63

How is paying the head tax going to help Seattle-area employees? It's unlikely that many Seattle-area employees are going to qualify for the 1800 "affordable housing units." The underlying issue appears to be Seattle's restrictions on development. The crazy cost of housing in the area is the result of restrictions on supply (and the high incomes of many tech employees). I'm also unpersuaded that this tax will have any significant impact on homelessness in the area unless restrictions on development are eased. It's going to be interesting in the long term to see how the socialist city council reconciles their political philosophy with their constituents' demands for tight controls on development. We only have to look at San Francisco to see the likely outcome.