Will finally get WA an income tax?  Seems like the perfect tragedy for the legislature to not want to waste.

Good point, probably will happen.

No good crisis goes to waste in WA.

Having said that, the recent WA Supreme Court decision that rejected Seattle's tax experiment is going to be a tough hill to climb. If the WA Constitution doesn't allow progressive taxation rates, and a flat tax goes against everything the Dems stand for, they will need to invent some kind of alternative and get it past the court. Not impossible but certainly harder than just passing a bill.

Washington state Supreme Court denies Seattle’s bid for income tax on wealthy households

Yes! I would bet my stimulus check on it!

I do believe we will have an income tax push in the legislature and from the governor.  Also predict there will be no lowering of the sales tax rates, even when this virus crisis is over.

In my opinion Inslee is using the shutdown for 3 things:

1. Make Trump look bad - which is why he's coordinating with California and Oregon
2. He'll play some climate change angle.  Possibly how much we've reduced out carbon footprint by not going to work and how we must make new laws to keep up this behavior
3. State income tax - The hit to the sales tax and B&O tax will be used to push a more stable source of state revenue....income tax.

I have never met anyone that was actually an Inslee supporter. Even Democrats seem to think that this guy is a milquetoast bore. I don't understand how he gets elected.

It is not how the votes are cast, it is who counts the votes. I.E. King County

Might as well sign it over to Oly.  It'll be taken soon enough...if everyone lets them.



If voting actually mattered, it would be outlawed.

What do you mean? He has a D next to his name, all he has to do is sail though the primary and end up the ballot and he's a shoe in. Nothing else matters.

If not a state income tax then a massive expansion of the capital gains tax.

An income tax will take too long to implement and begin collections.  The budget crises being felt by state and local governments is immediate as sales and B&O taxes are collected quarterly.  The money is literally not in the coffers NOW and the state and locals cannot issue debt to cover operations (capital projects are a different matter).

My agency has already laid off staff including admin and instituted a hiring freeze so some of the vacancies we had prior to the crisis will remain unfilled until???

Not complaining, just informing.  I am grateful to still be working for now.  Tomorrow - who knows...

Oh well. Maybe they shouldn't spend every cent they have on stupid shit like public LGBTQQF+ art installations and $500+ mil floating rail bridges to get across a small lake instead of just going around.

Maybe we will get GPS tracking and pay by mile out of this mess. They've been waiting for a crisis to push that for years

What fiscal responsibility?
That's crazy talk, governments don't need to save money.


I am hopeful that there will be massive ousting of elected positions after this, even my most leftist friends and family are pissed at how this was handled.

Member when Inslee tried to run for POTUS

Perhaps if our State Leaders didnt try to run the State in the Red all the time this wouldn't even be an issue. God forbid they attempt to stop hemorrhaging money on useless and unneeded shit and get the State back into the Black...

The state cannot run a deficit.  It must have a balanced budget or surplus.  We actually had a rainy day fund (surplus) but it is gone.

Budgets are set based on projected revenues and most of the time the projections are very close.  Washington’s primary source of revenue is sales tax followed buy other taxes.  These are primarily collected quarterly.

I know y’all hate the government, but some of us show up for work with our A game every day.  Some of us truly care about YOU - the tax payer and citizen.  I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s true.

With the exception of being a courtesy clerk for Safeway, I spent 20 years in the private sector working for two small businesses.  If you ever run into Tweak, ask him.  

Governments work best when the citizenry gets involved.  Look at all of the gun control we fought off these last two sessions.

At a minimum - register to vote.  If you are registered - then VOTE.  In the mean time, call, write, email your electeds.  

This is a watershed moment for Freedom and Liberty.  Soooooo many people were going through life in condition white and they have now been snapped out of it.  

We have an opportunity to make some serious change if we seize this opportunity.

I sometimes lose momentum but I will never give up hope.  There is amazing power in each and every one of you.  Make something with it.

Screw an income tax. I’d be okay with a slight increase in sales tax over that.

This

Fuck that, try making some cuts on useless shit like the rest of us living in the real world.

"No one" voted for Mike Lowrey, either (Remember him?), yet there he was.



The state needs less revenue, regardless of the circumstances.

Before my time, I was still quite young, only vague memories.

The votes to repeal any income tax by initiative *are* for-sure there...

And unlike the $30 car-tabs one, there wouldn't be any way to claim that a one-sentence initiative (eg 'Should the state income-tax be repealed') covered multiple subjects....

State govt may be A-holes, but they aren't dumb a-holes...

So no, they won't do it. They'll just keep going after businesses & drivers, the way they always do....