Socialist Democratic Seattle mayor Katie Wilson is pushing to increase sales tax her city to expand bus services —during a time when businesses are rapidly leaving the city.

Socialist Democratic Seattle mayor Katie Wilson is pushing to increase sales tax her city to expand bus services —during a time when businesses are rapidly leaving the city.

Seattle voters will decide in November on increasing sales tax by 0.3% to fund additional bus services and funding free transit passes for low-income families. Democratic Seattle City Councilman Robert E. Kettle sent a letter to Wilson highlighting his concerns over the project given that the city is facing a $175 million budget deficit, according to Komo News.

Seattle’s projected budget deficit is $175 million even though voters have had additional property taxes for separate programs every year for the past six years, per Kettle’s letter.

“Continuing to use property levies to fund critical initiatives may not be an available option for both legal and political reasons in the future,” the Democratic councilman wrote.

“The ever-increasing tax burden funding new and expanded programs, layered on top of the ongoing affordability crisis, is hampering everyday Seattleites’ to make ends meet,” Kettle continued in the letter.

A report by the Downtown Seattle Association shows that a decrease in job growth is still an issue. Thirty-five percent of office and retail spaces are sitting vacant, according to the report.

“We are at a fragile point; it’s important to note we have not grown jobs in the last three years,” the association’s CEO Jon Scholes said according to KIRO7.

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The report highlighted how downtown office vacancies are higher than other major cities and comes months after Wilson took office on a campaign centered on progressive tax proposals.

“Our current budget and its future trajectory are unsustainable,” Kettle said in the letter.

Wilson’s office did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation request for comment.

The mayor has been compared to fellow avowed socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the two coastal city leaders both support similar policies. In her successful 2025 election campaign, Wilson called for more homeless shelters, removing guns and creating public grocery stores.

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