SEATTLE (AP) - Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, facing a tough re-election bid amid sexual abuse allegations, says he plans to propose a city income tax on “high-end” households.
The Seattle Times reports (https://goo.gl/yfQBdt ) that Murray made the comments during a forum for mayoral candidates Thursday night. He didn’t offer many details but said he would send a proposal to the City Council in the next few weeks.
It was the first candidate forum in the 2017 race, and it came two weeks after a 46-year-old Kent man accused Murray of raping him decades ago. The mayor has adamantly denied the accusation and similar allegations made by two other men, who also claim Murray abused them as teenagers in the 1980s.
This week, former Mayor Mike McGinn and urban planner Cary Moon announced that they’re challenging Murray. McGinn has also called for a city income tax.
The mayor said the income tax would be accompanied by reductions in other taxes, such as property and sales taxes, that hit poorer people harder.
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Information from: The Seattle Times, https://www.seattletimes.com
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