Washington’s Income Tax Faces Repeal Vote as Business Owners Raise Concerns

The campaign to repeal Washington’s new income tax is heating up ahead of the November election. Initiative 645 would repeal the state’s newly enacted 9.9% tax on income above $1 million. At a Let’s Go Washington campaign event, Olympia Master Builders President and business owner Gina Carlson argued the tax could affect retirement planning, inheritance and the ability of business owners to build generational wealth. Opponents of the tax are also raising questions about whether it could eventually expand beyond million-dollar earners. Former Democratic state Rep. Larry Springer previously acknowledged that a future Legislature could change the threshold, while arguing that an income tax can provide a more progressive and equitable way for Washington to raise revenue. Meanwhile, Invest in Washington, along with public-sector union groups including the Washington Education Association and SEIU, are backing the campaign opposing the initiatives. Washington voters will have the final say when the measures appear on the November ballot. #WashingtonState #WashingtonPolitics #WashingtonTaxes #IncomeTax #IncomeTaxRepeal #I645 #Initiative645 #Taxpayer #SmallBusiness #WashingtonBusiness #Election2026 #WashingtonElections #LetsGoWashington #CenterSquare #WashingtonInFocus