Microsoft Threatens to Move to Canada as Washington State Proposes New Corporate Taxes
As layoffs ripple through the Seattle-area tech scene, one of Washington’s largest employers is sounding the alarm on the state’s aggressive push for even higher taxes and warning that the policies of Democrats led by Governor Bob Ferguson could drive jobs out of the region entirely.
Microsoft President Brad Smith said in a recent interview with Bloomberg that Washington’s growing tax burden threatens to “devastate” the local economy if lawmakers continue targeting the state’s most productive industries.
And who delivered this profound piece of economic wisdom? None other than Brad Smith, President of Microsoft—a company that has done more than its fair share to enable the very political class he’s now complaining about. After helping to transform Washington state into a hopelessly blue progressive nightmare, Microsoft is now threatening to abandon ship and flee to Canada. The hypocrisy is breathtaking.
For years, Big Tech has been a loyal foot soldier and ATM for the Democratic party, championing every progressive social crusade that came down the pike. They eagerly funded the campaigns of the very politicians who believe capitalism is a disease and profit is a dirty word. Now, with Washington’s economy buckling under the weight of that exact ideology, Microsoft suddenly sees the problem.
The company’s leadership is aghast that the politicians they empowered are actually implementing the anti-business policies they ran on. Smith now frets that Washington state might “go off the rails” on taxes, a complaint so lacking in self-awareness it’s almost comical. They helped build the train, lay the tracks, and fuel the engine, and now they’re shocked it’s heading toward a cliff.
The balance sheet tells a brutal story. Under Governor Bob Ferguson, Democrats have unleashed a record $12.2 billion in tax hikes. The result wasn’t prosperity; it was a $1.2 billion budget deficit. Their answer, naturally, is to demand even more, proposing new wealth and payroll taxes aimed directly at the state’s biggest employers.
This isn’t a new playbook; it’s a rerun of a disaster film we all know the ending to. Seattle’s notorious “head tax” already chased thousands of Amazon jobs out of the city. Now, state leaders want to take that failure statewide. They’ve passed crippling rent control laws that vaporized new housing starts and new capital gains taxes that have investors running for the hills. Naturally, Ferguson blames President Trump for the damage—because in the progressive fantasy land, nothing is ever their fault.
Microsoft President Brad Smith said in a recent interview with Bloomberg that Washington’s growing tax burden threatens to “devastate” the local economy if lawmakers continue targeting the state’s most productive industries.
And who delivered this profound piece of economic wisdom? None other than Brad Smith, President of Microsoft—a company that has done more than its fair share to enable the very political class he’s now complaining about. After helping to transform Washington state into a hopelessly blue progressive nightmare, Microsoft is now threatening to abandon ship and flee to Canada. The hypocrisy is breathtaking.
For years, Big Tech has been a loyal foot soldier and ATM for the Democratic party, championing every progressive social crusade that came down the pike. They eagerly funded the campaigns of the very politicians who believe capitalism is a disease and profit is a dirty word. Now, with Washington’s economy buckling under the weight of that exact ideology, Microsoft suddenly sees the problem.
The company’s leadership is aghast that the politicians they empowered are actually implementing the anti-business policies they ran on. Smith now frets that Washington state might “go off the rails” on taxes, a complaint so lacking in self-awareness it’s almost comical. They helped build the train, lay the tracks, and fuel the engine, and now they’re shocked it’s heading toward a cliff.
The balance sheet tells a brutal story. Under Governor Bob Ferguson, Democrats have unleashed a record $12.2 billion in tax hikes. The result wasn’t prosperity; it was a $1.2 billion budget deficit. Their answer, naturally, is to demand even more, proposing new wealth and payroll taxes aimed directly at the state’s biggest employers.
This isn’t a new playbook; it’s a rerun of a disaster film we all know the ending to. Seattle’s notorious “head tax” already chased thousands of Amazon jobs out of the city. Now, state leaders want to take that failure statewide. They’ve passed crippling rent control laws that vaporized new housing starts and new capital gains taxes that have investors running for the hills. Naturally, Ferguson blames President Trump for the damage—because in the progressive fantasy land, nothing is ever their fault.
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