Seattle coffee shop owners in a froth over proposed tax

Washington, Sept 10: Coffee shop owners in Seattle staged their own environmentally friendly version of the Boston Tea Party of 1773, to protest a proposed 10-cent tax on the city's beloved espresso drinks.

About 100 people who own or work in small coffeeshops took a horse-drawn carriage from Zoka Coffee Roaster and Tea Company in Seattle to Green Lake, where they dumped bags of coffee beans into the water -- a protest reminiscent of early American colonists' protests at British taxes.

But these protesters filled the bags with balloons, so they could retrieve the bags afterwards.
"We put balloons in the bags so they wouldn't sink and they would just float. We didn't want to pollute the water," said Jeff Babcock, who owns Zoka Coffee.

The city's small coffee shops are in a froth over the proposed 10 cent a cup tax on espresso drinks, which would fund pre-school and day care programs for at-risk and low-income children in Seattle.

"None of us disagree with that," Babcock said. He said the coffee shop protesters would rather see a general tax pay for the programs.

Because the tax affects only espresso drinks -- cappuccinos, lattes and the like -- regular drip coffees and teas would be exempt.
Babcock said that would be an accounting nightmare for small shop owners, while shops like his that rely on students might cut back on their caffeine because of the additional cost.
City officials argue that people who pay up to five dollars for complicated espresso concoctions won't even notice the extra dime, which they consider a luxury tax.

Advocates of the tax say that by exempting regular coffee, they're protecting the city's everyday caffeine consumers.

Voters in Seattle will decide on the tax in a local election next week.

Bureau Report