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Why Microsoft and others are on the sidelines of WA ‘millionaires tax’ fight
Microsoft and other big employers stayed out of the campaign as supporters and opponents have raised more than $24 million for the ballot fight.
- Ballots were mailed to Washington voters last week for the November election, with Initiative 645 deciding whether to repeal the state's new 9.9% income tax on annual earnings exceeding $1 million.
- Gov. Bob Ferguson signed the millionaires tax into law this year after a marathon legislative debate, with the measure projected to raise more than $3 billion annually for schools, universities, and healthcare.
- Public-Sector unions have contributed over $12 million to defend the tax, while major corporations like Microsoft have maintained neutrality in the campaign, creating a stark funding disparity.
- National Federation of Independent Business director Patrick Connor argues the $1 million threshold will not remain permanent, contending lawmakers will lower it to $250,000 or less.
- Unless overturned by voters or courts, the tax applies to 2028 incomes with first payments due in 2029; Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle, stated pursuing a statewide payroll tax is "vanishingly unlikely" if voters reject the repeal.
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Slog AM: Bigfoot Never Happened, the CIA Settled Nazis in Canada, and Don't Get Your Hopes Up About the Sonics Returning
Our corporate overlords don’t oppose the Millionaires Tax: Or at least, they aren’t spending big to destroy it at the ballot, as they have done to similar income tax proposals in the past, the Seattle Times reports. The lack of oligarch backing means the petite bourgeois small business tyrants must fund the repeal on their […]
·Seattle, United States
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Implementation of Brian Heywood's 645 would indeed cut funding for K-12 schools, higher education and healthcare - NPI's Cascadia Advocate
Washington’s four-year budget framework requires lawmakers to plan for future tax collections, and repealing an enacted revenue source would have real, devastating consequences for public education, healthcare, and other essential services.
Coverage Details
Total News Sources14
Leaning Left5Leaning Right1Center5Last UpdatedBias Distribution46% Left, 45% Center
Bias Distribution
- 46% of the sources lean Left, 45% of the sources are Center
46% Left
L 46%
C 45%
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