Seattle Mayor Laughs as Wealthy Flee Her New Millionaire Tax

A sitting mayor of a major American city just waved goodbye to the taxpayers her city depends on, and the room thought it was funny.

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson, a self-described democratic socialist, stood before a cheering crowd at Seattle University earlier this month and delivered what might be the most economically suicidal sound bite of the year. When asked whether progressive taxes were an easy solution to the region’s fiscal problems, she laughed off concerns about millionaires leaving the state. “I think the claims that millionaires are going to leave our state are like super overblown,” she said. “And the ones that leave, like, bye.”

The applause that followed tells you everything you need to know about the ideological bubble these people live in.

This wasn’t some off-the-cuff remark at a private fundraiser. This was a mayor publicly mocking the very people who fund the city services she’s supposed to manage. And she did it with a smile, because in her world, the wealthy aren’t citizens contributing to the common good. They’re villains in a morality play, and their exodus is proof the revolution is working.

Here’s what Wilson and her cheering section don’t seem to grasp. When high earners leave, they don’t just take their income tax payments with them. They take their property taxes, their sales taxes, their charitable donations, their business investments, and the jobs those investments create. You know what happens next? The tax burden shifts downward, landing squarely on the middle class and small business owners who can’t afford to relocate.

Washington Democrats just passed what they’re calling a millionaire’s tax, a 9.9 percent levy on household income exceeding one million dollars. Governor Bob Ferguson signed it into law on March 30, and it’s already sending shockwaves through the business community. CEO Ari Rastegar of Rastegar Capital has been among the most vocal critics, pointing out that Wilson’s dismissive attitude toward wealth flight isn’t just arrogant. It’s dangerous policy dressed up as populist theater.

The thing about socialism is that it always starts by targeting the rich. Always. The pitch is seductive because most people aren’t millionaires, so taxing them feels like someone else’s problem. But here’s the part they leave out of the sales pitch. Once the wealthy leave or run out of money to confiscate, the definition of “rich” starts sliding down the income ladder. Yesterday’s millionaire tax becomes tomorrow’s tax on anyone making six figures. Then five figures. Then anyone with a pulse and a paycheck.

Wilson ran on a platform that included government-run grocery stores and open contempt for the business community. She’s governing exactly as advertised, which means Seattle voters have no one to blame but themselves. But the rest of us should pay attention, because this isn’t just Seattle’s problem. It’s a preview of what happens when you hand major American cities to people who view economic prosperity as a moral failing rather than a public good.

The Pacific Northwest used to be a magnet for innovation and entrepreneurship. Microsoft, Amazon, Starbucks, Costco. These companies didn’t build headquarters in Seattle because of high taxes and hostile politicians. They built there despite the obstacles, drawn by talent and opportunity. Now the politicians are actively driving that talent away, and they’re laughing about it.

There’s a reason why Florida and Texas are experiencing population booms while California and Washington are watching residents flee. People vote with their feet, and they’re voting for states that treat success as something to celebrate rather than punish. When a mayor tells millionaires “bye,” she’s also telling every ambitious young professional, every startup founder, every investor looking for the next big opportunity that they’re not welcome either.

Wilson’s contempt isn’t limited to the wealthy, though. That’s the part that should terrify Seattle residents. The rich are just the opening act. Once they’re gone, someone else has to pay for all those ambitious government programs she promised. Guess who that someone is?

The ideological left loves to talk about fairness and equity, but their policies consistently produce the opposite. They create a world where the connected and powerful thrive while everyone else scrambles for crumbs. Seattle is already seeing the preview. Rising gun violence, failing public services, businesses closing or relocating. This is what happens when ideology trumps economic reality.

Maybe Wilson genuinely believes millionaires won’t leave. Maybe she thinks Washington’s natural beauty and tech ecosystem are enough to keep high earners around despite punitive tax rates. Or maybe she just doesn’t care, because driving out the wealthy is the point. Either way, Seattle residents are about to learn an expensive lesson about what happens when you elect people who view governing as performance art rather than public service.

Related: California Mom Watches Justice Crumble as Son’s Killer Gets a Free Pass