(The Center Square) - Legislation that would impose an income tax on people who make more than a million dollars is set for another public hearing Tuesday in Olympia.
SB 6346 would slap a 9.9% tax on income above a million dollars, which is why majority Democrats are calling it a millionaire's tax.
Opponents, including former Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna, say if the legislation is approved and upheld by the courts, it will certainly expand to include taxing income of much less than a million dollars.
"There's really nothing new here. Every 10 to 20 years we go through this process where a group of legislators decide we just can't live without a state income tax," McKenna told The Center Square, explaining that up until now, lawmakers have attempted to get a constitutional amendment passed so they could impose an income tax as Washington's constitution states income is property. Every time, the courts have rejected those efforts and voters have also rejected it on the ballot on multiple occasions.
"To pretend income is not property just doesn't pass the laugh test. Voters will think that's crazy," said McKenna.
Approximately 20,000 to 30,000 households in Washington state would pay the proposed "millionaires' tax," representing less than 1% of the state's population, but opponents are convinced the goal is to expand the income tax to lower income thresholds.
"They don't even call it an income tax in the title. They're using a marketing slogan, a gimmick. They call it the millionaire's tax. They're not fooling anybody," McKenna said. "But the fact that they didn't have the courage and that they weren't honest enough to call it an income tax in the bill title, I think it's very revealing."
Supporters of SB 6346 are suggesting the large number of people signing in "con" on the legislative website include thousands of duplicate signatures.
"There are more than 100 confirmed false con submissions to the House Finance Committee in the names of people who in reality support the Millionaires Tax," noted an email from Invest in WA Now, a group advocating for "progressive revenue solutions and to ensure the mega-wealthy pay what they owe in taxes."
The group contends there are more than 37,000 duplicate signatures in the "con" column on the bill, which they suggest amounts to civil and potentially criminal law violations.
The email mentioned Let's Go Washington (LGW) Founder Brian Heywood who has touted the high volume of people coming out opposed to the bill.
LGW responded with a statement blasting the suggestion that the organization had anything to do with anyone signing in more than once.
"It's clear that LGW's many detractors will do whatever they can to try to distract from the train wreck that is the income tax bill and take whatever action necessary to suppress the voices of those who disagree with them," noted the release.
Heywood offered a further response.
"Even with their wildest claims, this is still the most unpopular bill in history. These attempts to minimize the concerns of voters don't change the outcome; it just emphasizes how desperate they are to downplay the clear and historic rejection," wrote Heywood.
SB 6346 is scheduled for a public hearing in the House Committee on Finance at 8:00 AM Tuesday morning.