Washington Primary Offers 9.9% Tax Repeal Clues as Poll Shows 59% Oppose Initiative 645
Updated
Updated · KOMO News · Aug 7
Washington Primary Offers 9.9% Tax Repeal Clues as Poll Shows 59% Oppose Initiative 645
3 articles · Updated · KOMO News · Aug 7
Summary
59% of respondents in a July poll commissioned by the No on I-645 campaign said they plan to reject the November measure that would repeal Washington’s new 9.9% tax on annual individual income above $1 million.
Tuesday’s primary offered mixed signals: Democratic lawmakers who backed the tax, including sponsor Jamie Pedersen, performed strongly, but Brian Heywood said those races did not test the tax itself and November will draw a larger electorate.
Initiative 645 would not only repeal the tax but also bar state and local governments from imposing taxes on individual income, turning the fall vote into a broader fight over future income-tax policy.
Nearly $2.5 million has flowed since July 9 to the campaign against repeal, while Heywood said both sides may need $20 million to $30 million and unions could spend $50 million to $60 million.
The tax, signed by Gov. Bob Ferguson in March and set to start in 2028, is backed as funding for education, health care and tax relief, while opponents cast it as a gateway to a wider income tax.