Story perspectives

Seattle Tax Funds Housing, Triggers Job Exodus, Nashville Tax Spike

5/10/2026

Summary

Story summary

Seattle raised payroll taxes on high-pay packages, generating about $0.5 billion annually for affordable housing and the budget.
From 2015 to 2025 Seattle added 97,000 housing units, a 30 percent rise, yet homelessness only plateaued.
Some employers responded by moving jobs to Bellevue and Nashville after the steep payroll taxes.
In Nashville, property taxes on a historic music venue rose from $129,000 to $589,000—a 356 percent increase—after Amazon, Oracle and Starbucks jobs arrived.

1 of 1

Story summary

Seattle raised payroll taxes on high-pay packages, generating about $0.5 billion annually for affordable housing and the budget.
From 2015 to 2025 Seattle added 97,000 housing units, a 30 percent rise, yet homelessness only plateaued.
Some employers responded by moving jobs to Bellevue and Nashville after the steep payroll taxes.
In Nashville, property taxes on a historic music venue rose from $129,000 to $589,000—a 356 percent increase—after Amazon, Oracle and Starbucks jobs arrived.