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News & ArtsThursday, March 21, 2013
Politics / Olympia Nightclubs Organize "Dance In" at State Capitol to Protest Dance Tax
Posted by Cienna Madrid on Thu, Mar 21, 2013 at 2:40 PM
What are you doing on Monday, April 1? Seattle's music lovers are driving to Olympia to dance on the steps of the Capitol Building in support of SB 5613— the bill that would repeal the Opportunity to Dance Tax (background on the tax here).
And they want you to join them:
Jazzercisers got out of paying this tax years ago after lobbying state officials for an exemption. Now nightlife advocates are hoping a fortified public display will pressure the Senate to attach this bill to the budget and exempt music venues as well.
"We want all styles of dance represented!" reads an email promoting the dance in. "All kinds of music will be played, including music generally heard in 'concert' venues, so that we can show that those who want to dance can dance to anything, anytime, anywhere."
If you enjoy our nightlife scene and don't appreciate having a bullshit 9.5 percent sales tax raise the cost of your ticket prices at Century Ballroom, Tractor Tavern, and other great Seattle venues that feature live music and/or dancing, now's the time to show your support. Here's the group's Facebook page.
The dance-in runs from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 1 on the Capitol Hill steps in Olympia.
2
cienna, exactly how much money did dave meinert give to rob mckenna's republican governor's campaign? or was it just tacit support so to speak.
5
Talk about a "politically orchestrated hiss!" I am so tired of the Stranger's biased coverage of this issue, just to appease their night club sugar daddies that buy full page ads every week.
The real story is that a few rich night club owners in Seattle willfully evaded collecting sales tax on cover charges, shirking their responsibility to help support schools, health care services, and other important public services. (I don't believe for a second that their accountants were so incompetent as to forget paying taxes over a period of years.)
What the Stranger consistently fails to mention:
1) The state sales tax has applied to dance club cover charges since the 1950s. There has been no change in the Department of Revenue's treatment of tax liability visavis dance clubs.
2) 39 other dance clubs in Washington state have consistently paid their taxes. The 5 that didn't pay, settled with the Department of Revenue for pennies on the dollar, which is a pretty big slap in the face to those who did. (Why comply with the law when you're rewarded for violating it?)
3) Applying the sales tax to dance clubs is good tax policy: Services are vastly underrepresented in the state sales tax base, even as they've grown as a share of the economy over the last few decades. The result has been a sales tax that has steadily lost capacity to generate revenues needed to support important schools, public safety, etc.
4) Why should dance club goers get a tax break? You pay sales tax when you buy a cd or an mp3. Why should people who prefer to spend their money on dance clubs get a break? (Hint: They shouldn't.)
5) Dance clubs are lame: Last time I checked, this was Seattle - a city in which most people understand that dance music sucks. Let's be honest, most of the people filling the dance clubs are douche bag frat boys or yuppie wannabes from Bellevue. I say tax the shit of those folks.
Drops the mic...
More...
The real story is that a few rich night club owners in Seattle willfully evaded collecting sales tax on cover charges, shirking their responsibility to help support schools, health care services, and other important public services. (I don't believe for a second that their accountants were so incompetent as to forget paying taxes over a period of years.)
What the Stranger consistently fails to mention:
1) The state sales tax has applied to dance club cover charges since the 1950s. There has been no change in the Department of Revenue's treatment of tax liability visavis dance clubs.
2) 39 other dance clubs in Washington state have consistently paid their taxes. The 5 that didn't pay, settled with the Department of Revenue for pennies on the dollar, which is a pretty big slap in the face to those who did. (Why comply with the law when you're rewarded for violating it?)
3) Applying the sales tax to dance clubs is good tax policy: Services are vastly underrepresented in the state sales tax base, even as they've grown as a share of the economy over the last few decades. The result has been a sales tax that has steadily lost capacity to generate revenues needed to support important schools, public safety, etc.
4) Why should dance club goers get a tax break? You pay sales tax when you buy a cd or an mp3. Why should people who prefer to spend their money on dance clubs get a break? (Hint: They shouldn't.)
5) Dance clubs are lame: Last time I checked, this was Seattle - a city in which most people understand that dance music sucks. Let's be honest, most of the people filling the dance clubs are douche bag frat boys or yuppie wannabes from Bellevue. I say tax the shit of those folks.
Drops the mic...
7
5) yeah, i read someone from the state of washington making your first point like 2 months ago:
"The state sales tax has applied to dance club cover charges since the 1950s. There has been no change in the Department of Revenue's treatment of tax liability visavis dance clubs."
this bullshit is all coming from meinerts libertarian capitol hill party people and the right-wing washington restaurant association, the same people getting rid of seattle's paid sick leave ordinance. fuck you cienna, i bet tacocat put you up to all of this.
"The state sales tax has applied to dance club cover charges since the 1950s. There has been no change in the Department of Revenue's treatment of tax liability visavis dance clubs."
this bullshit is all coming from meinerts libertarian capitol hill party people and the right-wing washington restaurant association, the same people getting rid of seattle's paid sick leave ordinance. fuck you cienna, i bet tacocat put you up to all of this.
8
Yeah, the Stranger's coverage of this whole affair has been so blatantly pandering and biased. Worse than the Seattle Times in many ways. I'm thoroughly disappointed and disgusted with them.
9
tim keck is a total right-wing weirdo from wisconsin. thats where the late paul weyrich is from, they both went to the same school. a right republican extremist going way back to the 80's and shit. dan knows all about it.
10
@9 WOW!! I've heard him called a lap-dog corporate Democrat but never a right wing weirdo before...
Tell us more!!
Tell us more!!
12
LOL. I bet a bunch of the people who are attending this protest routinely shout "Tax the Rich!"
It ought to be pretty convincing to Congress to see a bunch of pink-haired Ravers shake their glo-sticks in shame.
The shoe is on other foot now, huh 99%ers? How's that feel? Too funny.
It ought to be pretty convincing to Congress to see a bunch of pink-haired Ravers shake their glo-sticks in shame.
The shoe is on other foot now, huh 99%ers? How's that feel? Too funny.
13
I suppose the self-employed or those who respectfully find creative solutions to make a living and not become human commodities will be attending...
14
@12 there is nothing inconsistent about supporting progressive and Pigovian taxation at the same time opposing regressive taxation of healthy lifestyle activities.
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