Small-Business Director | Formerly @DCNightlifeDCNC ExecDir | @Spotlight4DC Advisory Board | Former @WashBlade Columnist | @wcp Award: 'BestOfDC' Best Columnist
Washington, DC
Joined October 2012
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‘Real Estate Investors Are Fleeing DC: New Development in DC Has Slowed As Investors Move to Markets with More Job Growth and More Business-Friendly Legislatures’
>Via @CityCast_DC
>LINK: dc.citycast.fm/business-deve…
Mark Lee retweeted
The degree to which the groups that showed up to the hearing didn’t really take Mayor Williams seriously stunned me. The guy ushered in our golden age of growth—he knows what he’s talking about!
D.C.'s economy is down. Taxes could go up. axios.com/local/washington-d…
DC Candidate List for 345 Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) seats:
MORE THAN *4-in-5* are basically random volunteers.
– 82% have either *NO CANDIDATE* or *ONLY ONE CANDIDATE*
– 18% have competing candidates
>LIST: dcboe.org/getContentAsset/55…
Mark Lee retweeted
The District's high rent delinquency rate, weakened labor force, bureaucratic bottlenecks and unpredictable zoning processes make it hard for investors to see how or when they’ll make their money back. I break down each issue here: dc.citycast.fm/business-deve…
Mark Lee retweeted
If 3.5% of residents pay more than 40% of income taxes it would take relatively few people leaving D.C. to have a real impact.
Also, this sidesteps the more important point that we need to be adding more residents to grow our tax base, not worrying about how many we’ll lose.
From the CFO’s presentation to the Council just now: 3.5% of District residents (about 12K ppl) pay 42% (about $1.4B) of individual income tax in TY ‘24.
Mark Lee retweeted
Every time someone says tax flight is not a risk in DC, remember this stat.
From the CFO’s presentation to the Council just now: 3.5% of District residents (about 12K ppl) pay 42% (about $1.4B) of individual income tax in TY ‘24.
Mark Lee retweeted
From the CFO’s presentation to the Council just now: 3.5% of District residents (about 12K ppl) pay 42% (about $1.4B) of individual income tax in TY ‘24.
Mark Lee retweeted
The DC Council held a hearing on revenue measures yesterday.
Here is a roundup of reactions from Capital Commonsense contributors @mattyglesias @RiniSampath @ChrisJKennedy @AshleySchapitl @mhf187 and me: open.substack.com/pub/capita…
Mark Lee retweeted
One important big-picture takeaway from this hearing is that our tax rates are already so high even our Council doesn’t want to raise the normal rates.
It is therefore looking at various quirky new taxes (land value tax, capital income tax, business activity tax, bottle tax) other states and localities generally don’t have.
They could just raise the property tax rates or the income tax rate or the franchise tax rate or the sales tax rate!
It’s a big day in the D.C. Council, where lawmakers will hold a hearing on a bunch of possible tax hike ideas. The context is important: The city is facing up to a $800 million deficit next year, economy is down, and a mayor-to-be made big promises: washingtonsun.com/metro/dc-c…
Mark Lee retweeted
The core fiscal issue in DC is that spending is on a trajectory that was set during the 15-year population boom that ran from 2004-2019.
The top consideration in every issue — both tax and non-tax — should be how to return to that strong growth trend.
capitalcommonsense.com/p/our…
Mark Lee retweeted
Former D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams is warning lawmakers to think twice before raising taxes, arguing the city needs to keep its current taxpayers, attract new ones and focus on government efficiency.
His message: D.C. can’t afford to drive taxpayers away.
Do you agree?
DC Local Government Spending Has Far Outpaced Inflation and Population
…h/t @mattyglesias
Mark Lee retweeted
When is the hearing on cost cuts and savings?
It’s a big day in the D.C. Council, where lawmakers will hold a hearing on a bunch of possible tax hike ideas. The context is important: The city is facing up to a $800 million deficit next year, economy is down, and a mayor-to-be made big promises: washingtonsun.com/metro/dc-c…
Mark Lee retweeted
The Council can argue for more revenue, but they should be honest with Washingtonians and accurately describe our current tax system, which is already progressive. Households earning $200K and above pay 2/3 of District income taxes.
capitalcommonsense.com/p/whe…
It’s a big day in the D.C. Council, where lawmakers will hold a hearing on a bunch of possible tax hike ideas. The context is important: The city is facing up to a $800 million deficit next year, economy is down, and a mayor-to-be made big promises: washingtonsun.com/metro/dc-c…
Mark Lee retweeted
Must read reporting from @jennygathright on the shortcomings of D.C.'s violence interruption program, which one study found was actually associated with a slight uptick in firearm fatalities in certain neighborhoods:
washingtonsun.com/metro/dc-v…
DC Council Mbr. @CMZParker5:
What proposals are you developing to *REDUCE* the city government’s massive spending levels and runaway growth in the annual budget in recent years?
Tomorrow, the Council will hold a hearing on revenue proposals for the FY28 budget. While we grapple with sobering financial forecasts alongside an affordability crisis, it is essential for us to get ahead of our FY28 budget conversations with a particular focus on revenue. Learn more, tune in, and consider submitting written testimony 👉🏾 lims.dccouncil.gov/Hearings/…
Mark Lee retweeted
Blockbuster reporting from Jenny and the Sun here:
"The District spent millions on community violence intervention, but according to one study, the programs were associated with an increase in gun violence."
Wrote about DC’s flagship violence intervention efforts, which have had glimmers of success but now leave almost no one happy. Researchers say they didn’t work, and now violence interrupters who risked their lives feel discarded by the government, too. washingtonsun.com/metro/dc-v…
Mark Lee retweeted
One crazy-making aspect of this story is that the researchers conclude that many of these programs were understaffed even though funding swelled from $5m to $28m. Where was the money going?
For years D.C. has held out hope that violence interruption programs would meaningfully decrease shootings and killings. A recent study finds they may have done the opposite. Now the fate of the entire initiative is up in the air, reports @jennygathright: washingtonsun.com/metro/dc-v…
Mark Lee retweeted
For years D.C. has held out hope that violence interruption programs would meaningfully decrease shootings and killings. A recent study finds they may have done the opposite. Now the fate of the entire initiative is up in the air, reports @jennygathright: washingtonsun.com/metro/dc-v…