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00000181-fa79-da89-a38d-fb7f2c120000Seattle is in the midst of a struggle with affordable housing and a rising homelessness crisis. The City Council is considering a proposal to have large businesses help pick up the tab on these issues with an employee tax, more commonly known as the head tax.The tax would force big employers to pay the city of Seattle for each employee and every hour worked. It's expected to raise $75 million.

Seattle City Council could lose its solution to homelessness crisis

Caitlin Lee raises a Tax Amazon sign in front of Seattle City Council members on Monday, May 14, 2018, during a head tax vote at City Hall in Seattle.
KUOW Photo/Megan Farmer

The city of Seattle appears to be doing an about-face on the new employee head tax on businesses. The City Council approved the tax unanimously a month ago to generate money for affordable housing and homeless services.

KUOW's Sydney Brownstone explains what's at stake and what the council is discussing. We also talk to Lisa Daugaard, director of the Public Defender Association and one of the members of the task force that proposed the original head tax plan, and Jon Scholes, president and CEO of the Downtown Seattle Association.

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Year started with KUOW: 2018