Washington State’s New 9.9% Millionaire Tax Bypasses Voters, Sparking Outrage

Washington State has enacted a 9.9% income tax on millionaires, becoming the first state in the nation to implement such a levy, and residents have no direct recourse to challenge it.

The Washington State Supreme Court has ruled that the new tax cannot be challenged through a voter referendum, effectively shutting out the public from the legislative process. Public records cited by lawmakers show that Democrats deliberately wrote the bill to bypass any such referendum effort.

The move comes after Washington residents have rejected 10 separate attempts to impose an income tax in the state since 1934.

Larry Kudlow, commenting on the development, invoked a foundational American principle: “No taxation without representation. It says so right in the Declaration of Independence. We fought a war against King George III.” He added, “You have to let the people vote, and they won’t let them vote.”

Taylor, another commentator, explained the court’s reasoning: “Their State Supreme Court said that the way the court interpreted the state constitution was: we have a right to raise revenue no matter what, even at the voter’s expense.”

Brian detailed the backstory, alleging “dirty dealing on the inside.” He noted that in 2023, the legislature passed a capital gains tax, and the Supreme Court allowed it. “That was a big wink and a nod to progressives: hey, now you should go for the income tax. And they did.”

Kudlow lamented the transformation of Washington, which he described as one of eight tax-free states: “You had all of these fabulous technology… thousands of Microsoft millionaires in Seattle because of the great start-ups and because there was no income tax. So that’s all changing now.”

Brian warned residents about the political shift: “The people of Washington thought they had a constitution that said you can’t tax income tax. But what they forgot is they elect progressives who don’t care about constitutions. As soon as they get these spots, they say the constitution is a living, breathing document. You bet we can do an income tax.”

Kudlow concluded by contrasting the current situation with historical ideals: “What happened to the greatest sentence in the history of language? ‘We are endowed by our Creator’… They just don’t have it in Washington.”