Seattle New Tax Backfires as Thousands of High-Paying Jobs Move to Bellevue

Cities that tax high-paying corporate jobs risk losing those jobs to neighboring cities, as demonstrated by Amazon's relocation of thousands of high-salary positions from Seattle to Bellevue after Seattle implemented a payroll tax on salaries over $150,000; this illustrates that in the modern economy, high-paying corporate jobs are highly mobile and cities must balance the need to fund services through taxation against the risk of losing major employers to more competitive jurisdictions.