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MARCH 15, 2023
VOL. 104, NO. 11
FEATURED STORIES
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Photo by Laura Marie Rivera Queen Anne Little League players march down the Avenue, accompanied by Seahawks Blue Thunder Drumline, as League President Tommy Kim and KUOW’s Kirsten Kendrick provide commentary from their lookout at Bethany Presbyterian Church.
Queen Anne Little League hosts Opening Day parade
By Laura Marie Rivera Contributing writer
Queen Anne Little League players from more than 40 teams lined up to march down Queen Anne Avenue during the organization’s Opening Day Parade on Saturday in Upper Queen Anne. After a pancake breakfast at Bethany Presbyterian Church, QALL President Tommy Kim welcomed the crowd, and the Coe Choir sang the national anthem. The fire engine from Seattle Fire House No. 8 roared into action, and Seahawks Blue Thunder Drumline led the parade. Emy Chow-Greiner, a baseball mom and
first-time board member, said the pancake breakfast was a revival of an older tradition, but her plan for the parade was the first of its kind here in Queen Anne. “It was a whirlwind process getting all the permits to shut down the street and divert the buses, find equipment, and recruit volunteers,” Chow-Greiner said. QALL received donations from Queen Anne Cafe, Cafe Ladro and Queen Anne Coffee Co. Tommy Kim said he was really impressed when he saw all the volunteers come in and help out. “It’s a nice reminder of what we value and the best part of the Queen Anne community,” he said.
Other team sponsors include: Queen Anne Book Company, Sam’s Tavern, City Eye Care, Wag n’ Wash, Ken’s Market, Fischer Plumbing, Yuen Lui, Alpine Hut, Café Hagen, Flame Burgers, Skillshow, Queen Anne Space Building, Renewal by Anderson Windows, Bob Oates Plumbing, Seattle Elks 92, Hair Design by Helen, Queen Anne Frame, re:Design, Prostock Athletic Supply, Hagen Coffee Roasters, Chris Gibbons State Farm Insurance, MHT Insurance, Queen Anne Farmer’s Market, AAA Fire Protection, Holly Ring, Queen Anne Family Dental, Chris Topawa Insurance, Scott Haverson’s Thunder and Best Plumbing.
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Proposed Washington wealth tax debated at Senate public hearing
By Brett Davis The Center Square
Proposed legislation that would create a “narrowly tailored property tax on extreme wealth derived from the ownership of stocks, bonds, and other financial assets” in Washington state drew passionate responses from supporters and opponents at a public hearing before the Senate Ways & Means Committee. Senate Bill 5486, sponsored by Sen. Noel Frame, D-Seattle, would levy a 1 percent property tax on those financial assets, excluding the
first $250 million, and is expected to generate approximately $3.2 billion in revenue annually, starting in fiscal year 2026. The money would Sen. Noel go towards educaFrame tion, affordable housing, disability services and tax credits. Frame said with the legislation “we’re bringing parity to the property tax code and asking billionaires and ultra-millionaires to pay taxes on
their assets, just like we are already paying taxes on ours.” SB 5486 would only apply to some 700 people in the state, she added. Supporters characterized the bill as a tool for fixing what they consider Washington’s upside-down tax code that also brings in muchneeded revenue for services state residents need. “A wealth tax is not novel, it’s been an essential component of, for example, Switzerland’s tax system for more than a century,” Prof. Brian Galle of Georgetown University said
via remote testimony. By most metrics, he said, a wealth tax works better than the U.S. income tax and Washington’s state sales tax. “So let’s just say that we’ve learned a lot over the past decade about how to design and implement wealth taxes and how to make them work successfully in places like Switzerland and Spain,” he said. As of Jan. 1, all residents of Spain with a net worth greater than 3 million euros have to pay a new Temporary Solidarity Tax for High Net-Worth Individuals. This new tax
applies not only to residents of the country, but also to people who have assets in Spain. Andy Nicholas, senior fellow at the Washington State Budget and Policy Center, said SB 5486 “would be a boon for Washington’s economy, strengthening community structures like schools and affordable housing, creating thousands of jobs, boosting personal income, and making Washington more attractive for business investment.” During remote testimony, he took
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