A controversial tax on guns and ammo enacted by Washington’s largest city is not the cash cow city leaders hoped and some argue in the end it is actually costing the city money.
The 2015 measure, which placed a $25 assessment on each modern firearm and up to 5 cents on each round of ammunition sold by retailers in the city, was billed as Seattle’s solution to the $17 million in medical costs from gunshot victims at the city-underwritten Harborview Medical Center in 2014.
However, as disclosed by figures released by the city under a Public Records Act request by TheGunMag.com’s Dave Workman, the amount collected totaled $93,220 in 2017 was far less than the $300,000 to $500,000 annual windfall projected by the city council three years ago.
“Once again, Seattle’s pie-in-the-sky gun tax revenue forecast has been proven to be a complete failure, essentially like other gun control fantasies,” said Second Amendment Foundation founder Alan Gottlieb in a statement. “The revenue data only reinforces our claim in a lawsuit against the tax that this was a gun control scheme to drive firearm sales and gun stores out of the city, which it obviously did.”
Gun rights groups, involved in a running legal battle with the city over the tax, have long painted the initiative as a failure, pointing out the number of shootings in the city are on the rise while revenues collected have consistently fallen short of the city’s expectations.
Some area firearms retailers are quick to agree with Gottlieb’s assessment. Precise Shooter, a former Seattle gun shop that relocated to nearby Lynnwood, argues the city went so far as to draw a net loss from the tax as shops moved from the city and in the process took their robust sales tax revenues with them. The store said they sold over 1,200 guns last year to Seattle residents who visited their location and that sales tax remained outside the Emerald City.
“Well, we don’t know how much of the revenue city lost at other gun stores, but we have transferred $63,715.36 in taxes to Lynnwood in 2017,” store staff pointed out. “If we did not have to move, this money would have gone to City of Seattle.”
source: guns.com
20 Comments
David
LOL……….F..K the traitors in Seattle…shit hole of WA…….
Martin
They will continue to be a cesspool like most of California.
Jmanjo
See, that’s what happens when a dumbass Democrat and a bunch of fool liberals try to run rough shod over American citizens. They should recall those fools and start with “normal” people.
Houmid
Problem is, too many fools voting for them.
Felipe Gomez Jr.
Voter fraud!
JohnGaltTexas
Most of the commie pansies and snowflakes infesting Seattle wouldn’t come within 100ft of a firearm anyway. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/8c875bf20ef382effeed7b9beac915fe7f13ce8f9dd24afc75c9fa29f3cab891.jpg
Deadeye
NO Chit!!!
Richard Gieser
Another “Liberals don’t get it” moment.
Deadeye
F%$K Seattle….another Chit Hole town, for progressives only!
Byron Morris
If I lived in Seattle, I would make sure I shopped for guns and ammo outside the limits of the city. Why would I, as a person who believes in the Second Amendment, shop in a city with an anti-gun tax? Even if it was only 5 cents a gun and a penny on a box of ammo….I wouldn’t do it. I feel sorry for the retailers who are stuck between a rock and a hard place on this one……move if you can like the other guy did…..no B&O tax or sales tax for you Seattle……at risk of dating myself, as Ralph Cramden would say….”Hardy har har har!”
JohnGaltTexas
Ah yes, The Great One!
hardyharhar
Hey…somebody remembered!
Felipe Gomez Jr.
How sweet it is? “Jackie Gleason.” Many moons ago.
Byron Morris
But of course the anti-gunners in Seattle don’t really care about taxes….their agenda is to drive retailers out of the city. “increased revenue from taxes” was just a smoke screen…..they had to know that any rational gun owner would drive 5 or 10 miles to avoid paying a bullsh_t tax.
markypolo
Yeah, There is NO cure for STUPID! Dumbass Democrats!
Rodney
Liberal control always ends up costing them more money, less business, higher unemployment and great crime. Will they ever learn? NO!
Chainsaw McGerk
Reflecting on the differences between the first Civil War and the one that’s brewing, I find it strange…in 1861, the Democrat states’ biggest problem was they were poorly armed compared to the Republicans and had no weapons manufacturing capability at all.
Today, the Democrats are essentially unarmed and they’re working tirelessly to drive any stores where they could buy guns out of business or at least out of their states.
When Sherman marched through Georgia, the Democrats had a helluva lot better chance at “resistance” than they do in places like Seattle today, bless their little hearts.
Timothy Toroian
What the Sam Hill did they expect, put an asinine tax on somebody and they MOVE!
Secret Squirrel
Remember candidate Obama?
Reporter, “If raising taxes results in less revenue, would you still do it?”
Obama, “Yes, because it’s the right thing to do.”
It’s not about raising funds, it’s about punishing success.
Felipe Gomez Jr.
Finally smebsome woke up? 👍