The Opportunity for All Coalition filed a lawsuit today to overturn the new income tax on capital gains (SB 5096). This is the second lawsuit to be filed against the tax. The plaintiffs are April Clayton (Red Apple Orchards), Kevin and Renee Bouchey...

Public records show lawmakers plan to use the capital gains income tax to set up a lawsuit to try to impose a broad-based graduated income tax. They’re going to get not one but two lawsuits from citizens fighting the unconstitutional income tax. I...

Truly unbelievable. A Senate floor vote to impose an income tax has occurred before the March 17 Revenue Forecast and budget release. The state Senate has taken the first step towards imposing an income tax with a 25-24 Saturday vote on SB 5096...

OLYMPIA–Truly unbelievable. A Senate floor vote to impose an income tax has occurred before the March 17 Revenue Forecast and budget release. The state Senate has taken the first step towards imposing an income tax with a 25-24 Saturday vote on SB 5...

I’m at a total loss. How can very smart lawmakers look at a letter from the IRS unequivocally calling a capital gains tax an income tax, see that every state revenue director in the country describes a capital gains tax as an income tax, realize that...

OLYMPIA–Against the backdrop of now three separate income tax on capital gains proposals (HB 1496, SB 5096 and SB 5204) comes the question: What impact do these tax proposals have on the state’s competitiveness? We’ve previously documented the Washin...

OLYMPIA–The life of a bill is truly a mysterious thing. For example, let’s follow the journey of two different bipartisan sponsored bills: HB 1067 (state dinosaur) and HB 1020 (emergency powers reform). Both bills were pre-filed before session sta...

Despite the budget being balanced, billions in reserve, and projected revenue growth of 7.2% the Governor is yet again proposing an income tax on capital gains in his new budget. Here are the details on his proposed 9% capital gains income tax. The G...

The Senate Ways & Means Committee will hold a public hearing on January 14 at 4 p.m. on the Governor’s proposed income tax on capitals gains (SB 5096). Remote testimony is available and it is super easy to sign up for (I’ve already registered). The...

Despite the budget being balanced, billions in reserve, and projected revenue growth of 7.2% the Governor is yet again proposing an income tax on capital gains in his new budget. Here are the details on his proposed 9% capital gains income tax. The G...

It is official. Boeing will consolidate its 787 manufacturing in South Carolina. This news has many implications for the state including a direct impact on the state’s budget outlook. Although the September revenue forecast didn’t make an ass...

OLYMPIA–First the good news. Unlike during the great recession, state revenue is still increasing overall during the COVID pandemic. According to the September revenue forecast: “Forecasted Near GF-S revenue for the 2019-21 biennium is now $50...

Members of the forgotten branch of government during the COVID pandemic, the legislative branch, continue to make their voices heard concerning the need for a special session. Sen. John Braun, ranking member on the Senate Ways and Means Committee,...

With the state’s budget outlook in the news, discussion of a capital gains tax is occurring with greater frequency. There is one piece of information that is consistently left out, however: the fact that a capital gains tax is an income tax. This imp...

OLYMPIA–Washington’s economic outlook has dramatically changed due to the global COVID pandemic and Governor Inslee’s subsequent order in March to lock-down the state economy. When the 2020 legislative session opened in January, the state was in th...

OLYMPIA–Governor Inslee made his appointment this week to the fill the vacancy created on the state Supreme Court by the retirement of Chief Justice Fairhurst. Although his selection of Whatcom County Superior Court Judge Raquel Montoya-Lewis was a...

OLYMPIA–A new lawsuit has the potential to eliminate one of the Legislature’s most egregious anti-transparent games: Title Only bills. On November 5, the Washington Bankers Association challenged the adoption of HB 2167 (Title Only bill bank tax inc... Full story

By now you’ve probably heard that the City of Olympia is facing a PDC complaint for illegally using tax dollars to campaign against I-976. Yesterday Olympia responded saying this about its 15,000 household, $7,423 taxpayer funded mailer: “Although mi... Full story

With Halloween just over a week away, perhaps it’s fitting that some states hope to cash in from the Grim Reaper via their death taxes. Sadly, Washington is among the few states still counting on death to fund certain programs. For example, the T... Full story

WASHINGTON STATE–Although state revenues were already projected to increase by nearly $5 billion, lawmakers last session raised taxes by more than $1 billion. We now know, thanks to the Department of Revenue’s (DOR) supplemental budget request, tha... Full story