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WA Supreme Court Rules in Attempt to Repeal Millionaires Tax

The justices said the revenue measure is exempt from referendum and left the 9.9% tax in place while separate legal challenges continue.

  • On Monday, the Washington Supreme Court unanimously blocked a referendum to repeal the state's Millionaires Tax, ruling the measure is "necessary for the support of state government" and therefore exempt from public vote under the state constitution.
  • Brian Heywood, founder of Let's Go Washington, sought to force Secretary of State Steve Hobbs to process referendum paperwork, challenging the legislation's inclusion of a "necessity clause" that shields revenue measures from voter challenge.
  • The court cited over a century of precedent holding that revenue-generating measures are essential to government operations, shielding the 9.9% tax on household incomes over $1 million from referendum challenges.
  • Heywood said his group is now considering an initiative to recall the tax, though that route requires over 300,000 signatures to qualify for the ballot this year or next year.
  • Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen, the tax's sponsor, emphasized that revenue measures remain subject to initiatives, while separate legal challenges regarding the tax's constitutionality remain pending with no ruling expected for about a year.
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The Center Square broke the news in United States on Monday, May 4, 2026.
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