The impetus for our 1776 revolution was taxation without representation.
Our constitution guarantees you and I elect representatives to speak for us in all matters of government especially when it comes to taxation. The “millionaires’ tax” allows taxing nonresidents and foreigners and contains numerous blatant lies.
The duplicitous language and double-speak comprising the millionaires’ tax is profound but the practice of taxing people without any state government representation is egregious. RCW 82A.04.430 (1) subjects nonresidents to this tax. Nonresidents cannot vote for government representatives who impose this income tax on them.
RCW 82A.04.460 defines taxing the income of nonresident student athletes who receive an income through NIL (name, image, likeness) contracts or any other means. Section (13)(d) deviates from taxing Washington state residents and levies this tax on “nonresidents.”
Companies or individuals who reside outside of Washington are subject to the “millionaires’” tax if they derive an income from Washington sources. For example, a company in Idaho selling widgets to Boeing in Washington could easily be required to pay the Washington millionaires’ tax. They too would be subject to taxation without representation.
RCW 1.90.100 (1) plainly states no tax shall be placed on income. (2) states subsection (1) does not apply if the standard state income tax deduction is at least $1,000,000 per “household.” Household is partially defined in WAC 357-01-182 as persons who live in the same residence and provide financial support for one another. This clearly belies the gaslighting regarding the millionaires’ tax only being a tax on individual incomes.
RCW 82A.04.030 (1) clearly states the millionaires’ tax only applies to “Individuals.” Section (9) alters taxing individuals to taxing “households.” In addition, it equates taxing households to the recent capital gains “excise” tax, leaving wiggle room for a judge to declare this income tax merely another special or excise tax.
RCW 82A.04.360 modifies the marriage penalty, effectively reducing the individual deduction of $1,000,000 per person to $500,000 per person. RCW 82A.04.560 (3) refines the marriage penalty further and (4)(a) adds a new concept of marriage; a married couple is now an individual person.
There may be a silver lining; if I-645 fails at the ballot and legal challenges, the state will recover about half a million dollars from the University of Washington head coach’s more than $6 million taxpayer-funded salary. In any event, it may prompt an initiative to place a 9.9% “excise” tax on the 50,000 state employees’ salaries.
Help stop this fraudulent tax in its tracks; vote “yes” on I-645.
Gregory Riplinger
Centralia
