Joint statement from Reps. Hunter Abell and Andrew Engell on the passage of a new state income tax
CONTACT: Brendon Wold, Deputy Communications Director | 360-786-7698
Joint statement from Reps. Hunter Abell and Andrew Engell on the passage of a new state income tax
‘The people of Washington deserve a government that exercises fiscal discipline before asking for new revenue,’ say Abell and Engell
After a floor debate lasting over 24 hours, the longest in recent legislative memory, majority Democrats in Olympia passed an income tax aimed initially at “high earners.”
Rep. Hunter Abell, R-Inchelium, and Rep. Andrew Engell, R-Colville, sponsored amendments, most of which were rejected by the majority party, gave multiple floor speeches fighting for rural Washingtonians, and were on the House floor for the debate’s entirety.
After ESSB 6346 passed the House with no Republican support, the two lawmakers released the following statement:
“The proposal to impose a state income tax on high earners should give Washington taxpayers pause.
“Government credibility matters when it asks the public to accept a major change to the tax structure. Over the past ten years, the state operating budget has roughly doubled. During that same period, lawmakers have repeatedly relied on one-time funding, accounting shifts, and other temporary measures to close budget gaps created by spending that outpaces revenue. Those decisions make it difficult to ask taxpayers to simply trust that a new tax will remain limited or restrained.
“Supporters say the tax would only apply to income above one million dollars. But at the same time, legislative leaders have openly acknowledged that the public should not assume the threshold will remain at that level in the future. When the people proposing a tax also warn that its limits may not hold, it raises legitimate questions about where the policy ultimately leads.
“There are also serious constitutional concerns. Washington courts have repeatedly held that income is treated as property under the state constitution, which means a graduated income tax conflicts with the uniformity requirement applied to property taxes. Moving forward with this proposal all but guarantees years of legal challenges and uncertainty for taxpayers and employers across the state.
“Major changes to Washington’s system of taxation should not happen without the direct involvement of the people who will be affected by them. Washington voters have rejected income tax proposals at the ballot box ten different times. If lawmakers believe now is the moment to fundamentally change the state’s tax structure, the responsible course is to put that decision before the voters rather than pushing it through the Legislature alone.
“Washington has long benefited from a tax structure that does not include a state income tax. That policy has helped make our state an attractive place to invest, build businesses, and create jobs. Changing that foundation risks weakening the very advantages that have helped our economy grow.
“The people of Washington deserve a government that exercises fiscal discipline before asking for new revenue. Instead of creating a new income tax framework, the Legislature should focus on controlling spending, prioritizing core services, and restoring public confidence that taxpayer dollars are being managed responsibly.”
