Washington Policy On The Go is WPC’s bi-weekly (weekly during the legislative session) virtual lunchtime event series featuring center directors and guests to inform you on the latest in Washington State policy research and analysis. In this video we chat with Mark Harmsworth about the income tax, which as this was being recorded and posted was being debated on the House floor.
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00:00 – Introduction
01:05 – Where the income tax bill stands
01:24 – Floor debate, amendments, likely passage
03:22 – Legal challenges and constitutionality
04:23 – Why rejecting “millionaires only” amendments matters
07:34 – Rejected military and veterans exemption
08:25 – Regressive tax claims and fairness argument
10:02 – Ferguson’s promises and rejected tax relief
10:53 – Sales tax cut, marriage penalty, farm deduction
12:29 – DOR enforcement, audits, tracking concerns
13:55 – “Jock tax” and sports team concerns
15:17 – Could Democrat concerns still stop the bill?
16:26 – B&O credit politics and caucus pressure
19:08 – Will Ferguson sign it anyway?
24:26 – Estate tax rollback question
25:45 – Warehouses, employers, people who cannot move
32:04 – Supreme Court, appointments, litigation outlook
SB 6346, to create a state income tax: https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary/?BillNumber=6346&Year=2025
SB 6347, to undo certain recent changes to the estate tax: https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary/?billNumber=6347&initiative=False&year=2026&
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