I-1098: Establishing a state income tax

In November the people of Washington will again vote on whether to impose a state income tax. The income tax proposal will appear on the ballot as Initiative 1098. Currently Washington is one of only nine states that do not impose a general income tax on citizens. The people of Washington first considered an income tax in 1932, when it was enacted by a large majority. In 1933 the measure was struck down by the state supreme court as a violation of the constitution’s uniformity clause. In the years since 1932 Washington voters have rejected a state income tax four times, and the supreme court has invalidated income tax bills passed by the legislature . . . READ MORE