Is income tax coming to Washington state anyhow?

Proponents for a state income tax are one step closer to their goal as they continue to attempt to create new taxes on income.

On July 15, the Washington State Court of Appeals issued its ruling on whether the city of Seattle has the authority to impose a local income tax. While the court did rule Seattle's graduated income tax was unconstitutional because it was not applied uniformly.

The court also invalidated a 35-year old state law passed by the Legislature that prohibited local governments from imposing an income tax.  The court stated the law had violated a constitutional rule that “no bill shall embrace more than one subject.”

Pending an appeal to the state Supreme Court, this means that certain local governments now have the green light to impose a flat income tax. However, the city of Seattle is expected to take the issue to the Washington State Supreme Court to request it overturns previous rulings on the unconstitutionality of income taxes. Should the court overturn the ruling, a statewide income tax could become constitutional.

I can tell you members of the House Republican Caucus are already working on legislation to address the court's ruling and prevent a local income tax. For more background on the income tax battle, click here.

Voters have rejected a statewide income tax 10 times since the Washington State Supreme Court overturned Initiative 69 in 1933, the latest being in 2010 when the proposed income tax measure failed in all 39 counties with 64 percent voting “no.”

Laurie Jinkins

Keep in mind, some in the Legislature continue to push a capital gains tax. In fact, the prime sponsor of the bill is new House Speaker Laurie Jinkins (D-27th district). It is possible we could end up seeing this proposal again in the upcoming session.

This ties directly into the income tax debate as the IRS has stated a capital gains tax is an income tax. This op-ed from the Tax Foundation explains why capital gains taxes are income taxes.

Rather than continue to increase taxes and spending, the Legislature would be better served to establish priorities, reduce spending and focus on the services and issues that impact the majority of our citizens.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Do you still think the leftists in state government plan 'sensible taxation'?  Consider what the left enacted already during the 2019 Spring session.

	Type of tax	bill number	cost of new tax
	New payroll taxes	HB 1087	$8,036,110,541
	New property taxes	SB 5313	8,661,000,000
	New fuel taxes	SB 5993	2,760,000,000
	New taxes on bank customers	HB 2167	1,035,700,000
	New property sales taxes	SB 5998	1,747,300,000
	New taxes on border business customers	SB 5997	311,759,000
	New taxes on travel agent customers	SB 6004	30,100,000
	New taxes on vaping customers	HB 1873	207,135,000
	New taxes on bank customers	SB 6016	367,900,000
	New taxes on online buyers	SB 5581	1,039,261,000
	New taxes on service business customers	SB 2158	3,097,600,000
	New property taxes	SB 5313	8,661,000,000
	Total cost of newly enacted taxes		$27,293,865,541

$27 Billion in new taxation will start the shut down of the state economy.  Washington state's population in 2019 is estimated at 7,666,343 (World Population Review).  That makes 2019's new taxes equal to  $3,560.22 per person, man, woman and child.   Screw that.

Sign the initiative I-1082, the Term Limits on Taxes Initiative. Then vote "yes" this November. I-1082 expires this year’s new taxes and expires future new taxes after one year.  Effectively, I-1082 puts a time limit on tax increases when the Legislature takes our money without asking permission.  (Under I-1082, the legislature can ask to make new taxes permanent by referendum...  then the people can vote to keep new taxes.  In that case, the new taxes would become permanent.)

If keeping tax increases under control seems like a good idea, then you can download a copy of the petition here, and print it up.  The petition, by law, must be printed on 11″x17″ paper.