Terms of Service

TaxLoop is a civic engagement platform that enables residents to express their budget priorities across multiple levels of government (city, county, state, and federal). The platform:

• Allows users to submit budget allocation preferences using interactive sliders for each government level.
• Aggregates individual preferences at the zip code and district level to produce anonymous community budget-preference reports.
• Delivers aggregated reports to elected officials before budget deliberation periods.
• Tracks legislator voting records on budget-related legislation and generates alignment scores comparing votes to community preferences.
• Provides tools for users to contact their elected representatives about budget priorities.

TaxLoop is currently operating as a pilot program. The service, its features, and its geographic coverage may change as the platform evolves.

To use TaxLoop, you must meet the following requirements:

• Age: You must be at least 18 years of age to create an account and use the TaxLoop platform.
• Accurate address information: You must provide a valid, accurate residential address. Your address is used to determine your legislative districts and ensure your preferences are attributed to the correct representatives.
• Geographic coverage: TaxLoop is currently limited to the 98108 zip code in Seattle, Washington. This pilot area covers Seattle City Council District 2, King County Council District 2, Washington 37th Legislative District, and U.S. Congressional District WA-9. Eligibility may expand as the platform grows.

By creating an account, you represent and warrant that you meet all eligibility requirements stated above.

As a TaxLoop user, you agree to the following:

• Accurate information: You will provide truthful and accurate information when creating your account and submitting preferences. Misrepresenting your identity or address undermines the integrity of community reports.
• One account per person: Each individual may maintain only one TaxLoop account. Creating multiple accounts to influence aggregated results is prohibited.
• No automated submissions: You may not use bots, scripts, or any automated means to create accounts, submit preferences, or interact with the platform. All submissions must reflect genuine, personally held budget priorities.
• Lawful use: You will use TaxLoop only for its intended civic purpose and in compliance with all applicable laws.
• Respectful communication: When using TaxLoop to contact legislators, you agree to communicate respectfully and refrain from sending threatening, harassing, or abusive messages.

Your data rights are described in detail in our Privacy Policy. Key points include:

• You have the right to access, download, and delete your personal data at any time.
• Individual preferences are never shared with legislators or third parties. Only aggregated, anonymized community-level data is shared.
• You may delete your account and all associated data by contacting us or through your account settings. Deletion will be completed within 30 days.
• You may opt out of non-essential communications at any time.

For full details on data collection, use, retention, and your rights, please review our Privacy Policy.

Please understand the following limitations of the TaxLoop service:

• As-is service: TaxLoop is provided "as is" and "as available" during this pilot period. We make no warranties, express or implied, regarding the reliability, accuracy, or availability of the service.
• Not a government service: TaxLoop is an independent civic technology platform. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by any government entity at any level.
• Not legal or financial advice: Nothing on the TaxLoop platform constitutes legal, financial, or tax advice. Budget information and alignment reports are provided for informational and civic engagement purposes only.
• Informational reports: Alignment scores, budget comparisons, and execution reports are generated from publicly available data and our aggregation methodology. They are informational tools and should not be considered official government records.
• No guaranteed outcomes: Submitting preferences through TaxLoop does not guarantee that your preferences will be adopted by any legislator or reflected in any budget. TaxLoop is a tool for civic participation, not a binding mechanism.
• Pilot limitations: As a pilot program, certain features may be incomplete, data may be limited, and the service may be modified or discontinued with notice.

• Platform ownership: The TaxLoop platform, including its design, code, branding, reports, aggregation methodology, and all associated intellectual property, is owned by TaxLoop and protected by applicable copyright and trademark laws.
• User data ownership: You retain ownership of your personal data, including your budget preferences, comments, and messages. By using TaxLoop, you grant us a limited, non-exclusive license to use this data solely for the purposes described in our Privacy Policy (aggregation, report generation, and service delivery).
• Aggregated data: Aggregated, anonymized community-level reports are the property of TaxLoop. These reports may be shared with legislators and, in anonymized form, made available to the public to promote civic transparency.
• Restrictions: You may not copy, modify, distribute, sell, or lease any part of the TaxLoop platform or its content without our prior written consent.

• Termination by you: You may delete your account at any time through your account settings or by emailing legal@taxloop.org. Upon deletion, all personally identifiable data will be removed within 30 days in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
• Termination by TaxLoop: We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms of Service, including but not limited to: creating multiple accounts, submitting automated or fraudulent preferences, providing false address information, or using the platform to harass legislators or other users.
• Effect of termination: Upon termination, your access to the platform will be revoked. Any preferences already included in aggregated reports will remain in anonymized form, as they cannot be individually identified.

• Good faith resolution: In the event of any dispute arising from or related to your use of TaxLoop, both parties agree to first attempt to resolve the matter through good faith negotiation. Please contact us at legal@taxloop.org to initiate a resolution discussion.
• Governing law: These Terms of Service and any disputes arising hereunder shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Washington, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.
• Jurisdiction: Any legal proceedings related to these Terms shall be brought exclusively in the courts of King County, Washington. By using TaxLoop, you consent to the personal jurisdiction of such courts.

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, TaxLoop and its officers, directors, employees, and agents shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising out of or related to your use of the service, including but not limited to:

• Loss of data, revenue, or anticipated savings.
• Errors or inaccuracies in budget data, alignment scores, or reports.
• Actions or inactions of legislators in response to community preference reports.
• Service interruptions, outages, or discontinuation during the pilot period.

If you have questions or concerns about these Terms of Service, please contact us:

We may update these Terms of Service from time to time. When we make material changes:

• We will notify you via email at the address associated with your TaxLoop account.
• The updated terms will be posted on this page with a revised effective date.
• Your continued use of TaxLoop after the effective date of revised terms constitutes your acceptance of the updated terms. If you do not agree to the revised terms, you should discontinue use and delete your account.