24 hours. 50+ amendments. 51 ayes. 46 nays.
Olympia Democrats have pushed through a controversial “Millionaires Tax”, the first direct tax on personal income in Washington State. The tax targets high earners with a 9.9% tax on income over $1 million – a major shift for a state that has long rejected an income tax. Our hard-working Republican legislators sounded the alarm, fighting a solid 24-hour fight, proposing over 60 amendments in all – none of which were accepted.
A big concern is this isn’t just about millionaires—it’s about opening the door to a broader income tax on all Washingtonians. This and other liberal policies are already driving entrepreneurs, investors, and job creators – like Amazon, Boeing and now Starbucks – to friendlier states—taking jobs and economic opportunity with them.
Jason Rantz, in his March 13th articles, mentioned how a recent Wall Street Journal editorial board article closed with a line that should follow every Washington Democrat into their next campaign season.
“Democrats are gambling that they can get away with this because the state Supreme Court is so partisan it will rubber stamp whatever they do. That’s what the court did in 2023 by ruling that a 7% tax on capital-gains income was an excise tax, not a tax on property or income. And Democrats claim Donald Trump is the threat to democracy,” the board wrote.
Washington Democrats spent years warning about threats to democratic norms. They just passed a tax the constitution doesn’t allow, ignored 100,000 constituents, and locked the public out of any vote to undo it.
We can only hope the measure will face serious constitutional challenges and could ultimately be decided by voters.