Seattle business leaders want city to suspend taxes | Amazon shutting down DPReview

• The Downtown Seattle Association and Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce asked the mayor to halt the city’s business and occupation tax for new businesses and the JumpStart tax for all businesses for the next three years. 

• "Removing barriers and costs is how we will create more jobs, economic opportunity and strengthen Seattle’s tax base,” said DSA President Jon Scholes. 

• City Council Budget Chair Teresa Mosqueda said the JumpStart tax, which targets payrolls of the city’s largest companies, has helped “preserve and deepen much-needed investments in childcare, housing stability, and climate resilience." Cutting both the B&O and JumpStart tax would result in close to 3,000 job losses," Mosqueda said.

• The leaders also want the city and private employers to get employees back in the office. Read the story. 

Amazon is shutting down DPReview, a leading source of digital photography reviews and information on the internet, which it first acquired in 2007.

• As Amazon continues to cut costs across the company, DPReview and its 25 years of content will lock down on April 10 in what users are calling a major loss. Read more.

Virtual and augmented reality aren’t exactly the hottest things in tech, but you wouldn’t know it from the latest projects by University of Washington computer science students.

• Highlights from the recent AR/VR Demo Day (above) included a VR app for creating and viewing presentations, an AR tower defense game, and new takes on creating and viewing art. 

• Students were fully aware that job prospects in AR and VR are less than stellar right now, given recent layoffs. But they said the class offered valuable experience and insights nonetheless. Read more and watch videos of their projects.

Recompose, the funeral services company specializing in human composting, is raising $5 million via a new crowdfunding campaign.

• The Seattle startup is offering equity at a $1,000 minimum as it aims to attract investors from its broad community of supporters. Read more.

Amazon is bringing its Amazon One palm-scanning technology to Panera Bread in the first restaurant deal for the unique payment method.

• Customers at the fast-casual cafe will be able to link their loyalty profile to Amazon One for a more personalized experience. Read more.

Cast your vote for GeekWire Awards finalists!

• We’re excited to announce more than 50 finalists for the 2023 GeekWire Awards as we get set to honor top Pacific Northwest innovators across a dozen categories. We’ll announce the winners live on-stage at the GeekWire Awards on May 18. Vote now!

Zeva Aero, the personal aviation startup that’s been testing flying saucers, is shifting its focus to a more down-to-earth design for aircraft.

• The company, which is moving from Tacoma to Puyallup, Wash., will employ vertical takeoff and landing technology to a more traditional airplane. (Above: An artist’s conception shows Zeva Aero’s Argon VTOL aircraft in flight.) Read more.