WA Income Tax Repeal Fight Gets New Supreme Court Review

The legal battle over Washington’s income tax repeal initiative is not over. The Washington State Supreme Court has agreed to have a panel of justices consider an emergency motion from government transparency advocate Arthur West challenging the Public Investment Impact Disclosure, or PIID, that will appear alongside Initiative 645 on the November ballot. The current disclosure tells voters that repealing Washington’s newly adopted income tax would decrease funding for public K-12 education, higher education and human services, primarily healthcare. West argues the statement is misleading and that the law requiring the disclosure is unconstitutional. West is also raising new questions about the timeline for finalizing ballot language. He says communications he obtained from county auditors indicate ballot printing deadlines come later than the August 21 date the state has cited. Washington GOP Chairman Jim Walsh is separately criticizing the PIID, arguing Initiative 645 cannot cut funding that does not currently exist because the new income tax has not yet taken effect or generated revenue. On September 1, a panel of Washington Supreme Court justices is scheduled to consider whether to modify the commissioner’s ruling denying emergency relief. The outcome could affect what voters ultimately see alongside Initiative 645 on their November ballots. #IncomeTax #IncomeTaxRepeal #Initiative645 #WashingtonSupremeCourt #WASupremeCourt #WashingtonPolitics #WAPolitics #Election2026 #WashingtonElection #LetsGoWashington #ArthurWest #WashingtonNews #TheCenterSquare