01/14/2026
The Wall Street Journal doesn't hold back when talking about Washington state Democrats' last decade of overspending, and raising your taxes to try and cover for it:
"Democratic Gov. Bob Ferguson last month pitched a 9.9% tax on income exceeding $1 million amid a $2.3 billion budget shortfall.
Revenue hasn’t kept pace with the 60% surge in spending since the start of the pandemic, despite many tax increases."
"[Since] Democrats gained full control of the statehouse in 2017..."
"They swiftly raised the tax on real estate sales from a flat 1.28% to a progressive rate that tops out at 3% on properties over $3 million..."
"...they enacted a 7% tax on capital gains exceeding $250,000, disguised as an “excise tax” on asset sales."
"...They also raised the estate tax to 35% from 20% on estates exceeding $9 million."
"...They also extended the state’s 6.5% sales tax this fall to business services such as advertising, website design and temporary staffing."
"The [gross receipts business tax] rate this fall rose to 2.1% from 1.75% for service businesses with a surcharge on financial institutions rising to 1.5% from 1.2%."
"The state’s cap-and-tax program adds about 56 cents a gallon to the price of gasoline. This summer Democrats raised the gasoline tax by six cents to 55 cents a gallon..."
"On Jan. 1, the tax increased by another 0.5 percentage-points on many large businesses, followed by another hike in 2027."
In Session 2026 you should expect an Income Tax, a Head Tax, and a Millionaire Wealth Tax on unrealized gains to all opass and be signed by Governor Bob Ferguson.
'Washington State’s Tax Blitz'
WSJ Editorial Board | Wall Street Journal Opinion
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/washington-states-tax-blitz-497e7f61
