Taxes & Cost of Living

Howard Schultz in the WSJ: Seattle Turns Hostile to the Great Businesses It Made

Howard Schultz, former CEO and chairman emeritus of Starbucks, discusses the reason behind the company’s move from Seattle to Nashville: Washington’s economic story over the past half century is extraordinary. Microsoft, Amazon, Costco and a host of other new companies transformed the state into a global center of technology, innovation and logistics. Entrepreneurs exported ideas worldwide. Capital flowed. Wages...

2026 Washington State Legislative Scorecard

FUTURE 42 is releasing our second annual comprehensive scorecard highlighting key votes taken by all 147 legislators during the 2026 legislative session. This information is critical in order to ensure that Washingtonians are informed on bills which were passed, how those bills will impact their lives, and how their elected state legislators voted on those...

Act Now: Put a Supermajority Requirement for Clark County Tax Increases on the Ballot

Clark County’s Charter Review Commission is considering a proposal tonight/Wednesday that would require a supermajority vote of the County Council to raise taxes — a critical reform to rein in routine tax hikes and give taxpayers a stronger voice. If this proposed amendment passes out of Study Committee with eight votes this evening, the Commission will then...

The “Emergency” That Wasn’t: Court Faces Key Test on Income Tax Referendum

There’s a difference between making a legal argument and putting the real strategy in writing. Some legislative leaders and the Attorney General’s office may have just done the latter, and now the Washington Supreme Court has to decide whether it matters. This week, the State Supreme Court will hear arguments from Let’s Go Washington over...

Leaked Emails from Attorney General, Legislators Expose True Plan Behind Washington’s “Millionaires Tax”

A bombshell set of internal emails confirms what many Washingtonians have suspected all along: the so-called “millionaires tax” was never just about the wealthy. Instead, it was designed from the start as the opening move in a much broader push for a statewide income tax—paired with a coordinated legal strategy to make it possible. According...

Questions on Washington’s Millionaires Tax

Today is Tax Day—and with Washington’s new income tax making headlines, there are a lot of questions. Here are straightforward answers to some of the most common ones we’re hearing. Also, over the next several months, many lawmakers will be holding town halls and community events, giving constituents a chance to ask them directly about...

What you need to know about current legal challenges to Washington’s state income tax

Washington’s newly enacted income tax has already triggered legal challenges from multiple directions. While a state income tax like this seems plainly unconstitutional on its surface, the legal process from here on out is quite nuanced. Here’s a straightforward breakdown of what’s happening, who’s involved, and what it could mean. What are the current legal...

Not So Fast, Olympia: Why the Income Tax Signature is Just the Opening Salvo in a New Legal Battle

With the signature of Governor Bob Ferguson, Washington has broken its century-long streak of rejecting a state income tax. But for those who value constitutional limits and taxpayer protections, the message is clear: the governor’s signature is not the final word, and the end result is very much yet to be decided. The 2026 legislative...

Not Just the Income Tax: A Troubling Session in Olympia

Washington’s 2026 legislative session that adjourned last week was defined in large part by the controversial income tax proposal now sitting on Governor Ferguson’s desk. But while that fight has dominated headlines and advocacy efforts, it’s far from the only story coming out of Olympia this year. Beneath the surface, majority lawmakers advanced a series...

Legislature Sends State Income Tax to Gov. Ferguson After Rejecting Key Taxpayer Safeguards

Washington lawmakers have sent a sweeping state income tax bill to the desk of Bob Ferguson, where the governor must now decide whether to sign it into law or veto it. Last year, Gov Ferguson signed the largest package of tax hikes in state history into law, after pushing for a “balanced approach” for months....

WSJ: Washington State’s Income Tax Con

The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board again covers the Washington State income tax and how the supposed tax on millionaires will inevitably capture the middle class. Democrats say the tax plan is popular but then why are they including a provision to prevent it from being overturned by voter referendum? Bill section 1107 says the...

Op-Ed: State income tax proposal will destroy minority-owned businesses and hurt our communities

Mike Sotelo, president of the Ethnic Chamber of Commerce Coalition, writes about Washington’s proposed state income tax on earnings above $1 million threatens to undermine the progress and stability of minority-owned businesses at a time when our state’s entrepreneurial diversity is finally gaining momentum. As co-chair of the Seattle Ethnic Chamber of Commerce, I’ve seen firsthand...

40+ Whatcom County Small Businesses Urge Legislature to Reject State Income Tax

Today, 40+ local businesses in Whatcom County sent a joint letter to the Washington State Legislature expressing their concerns regarding the proposed state income tax, SB 6346. The letter urges the Legislature to reject the income tax in order to avoid negative impacts on Washington’s economy. To the Honorable Members of the Washington State Legislature,...

30+ Clark County Small Businesses Urge Legislature to Reject State Income Tax

Today, 30+ local businesses in Clark County sent a joint letter to the Washington State Legislature expressing their concerns regarding the proposed state income tax, SB 6346. The letter urges the Legislature to reject the income tax in order to avoid negative impacts on Washington’s economy. March 9, 2026 To the Honorable Members of the...