Ferguson kicks off effort to defend 'millionaires tax' from repeal

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Surrounded by backers of the tax at Food Lifeline in Seattle’s South Park neighborhood Tuesday, Gov. Bob Ferguson made his case for why Washington voters should uphold the so-called millionaires tax.

It marked the start of a campaign by a coalition of teachers, nurses and small business owners to block an effort to overturn an income tax on the state’s highest earners.

Initiative 645 would repeal the 9.9% tax on annual household income over $1 million, a levy that passed the Legislature in March

“In short, it’s a choice for the future and the past,” Ferguson said. “I am confident Washingtonians will see through this attempt and roll back our progress because that’s what they have done before.”

https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2026/07/14/bob-ferguson-millionaires-tax-repeal.html

[LisaM]

1. I will vote for the tax but I think they made a couple of mistakes.

First, it's too high at almost 10 percent. It should have been capped at around 5 percent. Washington does not currently have a state income tax and that is a huge cut out of someone's income.

Second, it should have been offset by some sales tax relief. Washington has one of the most regressive tax structures in the country. They should have offset this with a reduction in the state sales tax, but they didn't. So low earners won't get any tax relief and high earners will be pissed.

I firmly believe Washington needs an income tax but I don't think this was well thought out.