Seattle Socialist Mayor's Solution to Solve #1 Office Vacancy Rate in USA: Tax That Space

This episode of 'News For Reasonable People' critically examines Seattle's soaring office vacancy rate—now among the highest in the U.S.—and the controversial solution proposed by newly elected socialist mayor Katie Wilson: taxing owners of vacant commercial properties. The host argues that this approach is ideologically driven, economically nonsensical, and fails to address root causes like sky-high taxes, rampant crime, open-air drug markets, and a hostile business climate. Drawing parallels to New York City’s struggles, the episode highlights how progressive tax policies and weak public safety enforcement have driven major employers like Amazon and Kroger to relocate to lower-tax states such as Texas, Florida, and Utah. The host contends that punishing landlords for vacancies only deepens economic decline, accelerates capital flight, and undermines efforts to revive downtown Seattle. Instead of tax hikes, the solution lies in tax cuts, streamlined regulations, and aggressive public safety reforms—policies that have proven successful in other states. The episode concludes with a scathing critique of Wilson’s platform, calling it unrealistic, virtue-signaling, and disconnected from economic reality.