Tax increases might find more support on D.C. Council

Interim at-large Councilman Sekou Biddle says that if the D.C. Council is going to raise taxes on wealthy residents, then the council members should be among them. The city is facing a $545 million budget gap for the fiscal year that starts Oct. 1, and as council members search for cuts, it is becoming increasingly likely they’ll look for tax increases to help cover the shortfall. Biddle is the latest to raise the possibility, telling The Washington Examiner on Wednesday: “I have an aversion to raising taxes on people considered wealthy without including ourselves in that group.” Council members earn $125,000 a year. But, Biddle said, “by discussing tax hikes now, we give ourselves a release valve from making the changes we need to make.”