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In Washington state, democrats consider breaking a taboo: Taxing the rich
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In 2025, voters in Seattle and its suburbs elected a slate of progressive candidates who campaigned on explicit promises of wealth redistribution.
PHOTO: UNSPLASH
Anna Griffin
OLYMPIA, Washington – Anger over widening income inequality and fears of deep public service cuts are pushing lawmakers in Washington state toward what has long been unthinkable in state politics: A personal income tax – for now, at least, only on the very wealthy.
Washington is one of just nine states that does not tax income, and over the years, that has been a lure for people eager to live in a place with socially liberal policies and the culture of a progressive state – but the tax code of a more conservative one.
