Uchikura & Co., LLC

Seattle Is Finally Getting National Attention

For many years, Seattle and Washington State stayed mostly out of the national political spotlight. New York and California usually attracted the attention. Seattle was simply known as a successful tech city surrounded by mountains, coffee, and rain.

 

That is changing fast.

 

I live and run my business in Bellevue, and recently I have started to feel the impact of new progressive taxes more directly than ever before. Washington State now has capital gains taxes, discussions about millionaire income taxes, expanded sales taxes on services, while still keeping the B&O tax on businesses. At the same time, Seattle politics continue moving further left.

 

Over the years, I have watched some companies quietly move from Seattle to Bellevue because of the business environment. Now I also see businesses and wealthy individuals considering moving out of Washington State entirely.

 

What concerns me is not politics itself. Every city has politics. My concern is whether the region is slowly making it harder for businesses to grow, hire people, and invest long term.

 

Seattle became successful because people built things here — technology, aerospace, global trade, and small businesses. That spirit created opportunity and jobs.

 

Now Seattle is getting national attention for a different reason. People around the country are watching to see how far progressive policies can go before businesses and investment begin looking elsewhere.

 

Whether people agree or disagree politically, Seattle is no longer invisible.