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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
As expected, a state income tax is officially on the table this session.
Democrats are branding Senate Bill 6346 as a “millionaires tax,” but history shows that once an income tax is on the books, promises about limits don’t last. There is nothing in this proposal that prevents a future Legislature from lowering the threshold and expanding who pays.
Democratic leaders have been surprisingly candid about this reality.
When House Deputy Majority Leader Larry Springer was asked, “Why should the public assume that it’s not going to be an income tax on them by 2030?” his answer was simple: “You shouldn’t.”
That speaks to the issue of trust, which leads me to Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen. Less than two years ago, many of his fellow Democrats voted to ban income taxes in Washington. He now dismisses that vote as a “pie crust promise — easily made, easily broken.”
When leaders tell you not to trust their their promises, believe them.
Washington is already one of the most expensive states in the country. Families are stretched thin. Small businesses are failing. Gas, groceries, housing and child care cost more here than almost anywhere else. More taxes — especially a state income tax — won’t fix that.
The economic data backs this up. From 2020 to 2025, states without an income tax outperformed income-tax states in GDP growth, job growth, personal income growth and population gains. If we want Washington to remain competitive, this proposal must be rejected.
You may have seen Gov. Ferguson announce he can’t support Senate Bill 6346 in its current form because it does not provide enough tax relief to the people and small businesses who need it most. I agree we should cut taxes for working families and small businesses. But we all learned last session that what the governor says about taxes in the third week of session matters far less than what he does in the final week.
Republicans are doing everything in our power to stop Senate Bill 6346, but public engagement matters. Before the bill was heard Monday in the Senate Ways and Means Committee, more than 61,000 Washingtonians signed in opposed, shattering previous records. That’s because people understand what Republicans have been warning about and what Democratic leaders have effectively admitted: an income tax on some today will eventually become an income tax on everyone tomorrow.
Keep speaking out. Stay involved. Let the majority party know you want Washington to remain income-tax-free.
It is an honor to serve you.
Warmly,
Drew Stokesbary
