1️⃣Article VII, Section 2 of the Washington State Constitution requires that property taxes be uniform and caps them at 1%. In Culliton v. Chase (1933), the Washington State Supreme Court ruled that income is property. The people have consistently rejected a state income tax, and the Legislature banned a state income tax as recently as 2024 with I-2111. Gov. Bob Ferguson and legislative Democrats want to pass an income tax anyway.
House Republicans oppose new taxes in 2026. A state income tax is unconstitutional, unnecessary, and – if implemented – it will eventually target everyone.
2️⃣Washington’s carbon tax, known as the Climate Commitment Act, adds an estimated 56.7 cents per gallon to the cost of gasoline. In 2025, Democrats also raised the state gas tax to 55.4 cents per gallon – the third highest in the nation – with automatic 2% yearly hikes.
House Republicans support providing relief to drivers at the pump.
3️⃣Washington ranks dead last in the nation for police officers per capita and we have the third-highest property crime rate in the nation.
House Republicans sponsored legislation (HB 1435) in 2025 to hire more law enforcement officers. Democrats rejected that proposal and, instead, spent $100 million without any guarantees. To date, no cops have been hired under their grant program.
4️⃣Years of high fees and burdensome regulations have caused Washington’s housing supply to be among the lowest in the nation. In 2025, Democrats enacted rent control, which will further restrict the supply of new housing.
House Republicans are sponsoring bills (HB 2141 and HB 1438) to increase the supply of housing.
