Millionaire Tax Plan in Washington State Marks Growing Interest in Wealth Levies

When Washington Governor Bob Ferguson proposed the state’s first income tax in modern history, he said the word “affordability” five times.

Ferguson on Tuesday asked the legislature to craft a 9.9% tax on personal income over $1 million, which would revolutionize a state revenue system heavily reliant on sales and property tax. Although his fellow Democrats have for decades failed to push through an income tax, Ferguson said it’s “a different time right now.”