Bill Bryant faces criticism over income tax claims

Some say an income tax is inevitable for Washington state if it is to effectively fund the programs we’re always fighting over. Fears over that possibility are now being used by Washington gubernatorial candidate Bill Bryant’s campaign.

Bryant published an online tax calculator on his website that allows people to enter their incomes to answer the question: “How much more would you pay under a new state income tax?” It’s part of a social media campaign that alleges “Jay Inslee wants you to pay a new income tax.” That claim has been called “mostly false” by a Seattle Times fact-checker. Inslee’s campaign spokesperson Jamal Raad told the News Tribune that the Democrat does not support any income tax proposal.

KIRO Radio’s Jason Rantz and Zak Burns challenged Bryant on his income-tax claim, asking Bryant if Inslee has ever said he supports an income tax.

Related: In politics, is the release of tax returns overrated?

“Well, the governor is mostly false,” Bryant said. “This is a governor who campaigned saying that he would veto any tax increase and then within a month of taking office began proposing new taxes, so I don’t know how we can believe him this time when he is saying that he disagrees with members of his party who are pushing for an income tax. What I have never heard him say is that he would veto any tax on income that landed on his desk. Even if he said he would veto any tax on income that landed on his, why would we believe him this time?”

But Burns did not let that stand.

Burns: But you’re making that statement on a hypothetical. Is that why it’s maybe not getting as much traction?

Bryant: It’s not entirely a hypothetical. He is on record repeatedly supporting a capital gains income tax. And a capital gains income tax is just a gateway drug to a full-fledged income tax.

Burns: Why do you think what you’re saying is not resonating with people as much as you thought?

Bryant: What do you mean it’s not resonating?

Burns: You’ve got less than two months here. I’m looking at where Inslee stands on Sept. 12, and the fear of adding an income tax doesn’t appear to be resonating. He still remains a tremendously popular governor.

Bryant: “I don’t know what you’re looking at but this is a governor who is an incumbent and has never gotten over 49 percent (approval rating).

Burns: This is from 2016, his approval ratings are at 55 percent. Even more impressive is his disapproval rating is only at 28 percent.

Bryant: I don’t know which data that is. We’re looking at data that doesn’t ever put him at over 49 percent so I don’t think the distance between us is as great as you would suggest. But I do think that people are very concerned about taxes and it’s not something we have been talking about until now. Until now I have been talking about my vision for Washington state and what I want to do on a number of fronts – from transportation to homelessness to education but I do think in the last two weeks you have seen the pieces being put in place to what will later the governor will say forced him into accepting an income tax. You can see it with the state treasurer beginning to re-emphasize his interest in the state income tax, you can see it with the Supreme Court putting the pieces in line where they’re going to then say, ‘Well, you’re going to then say well you’re going to have to have some sort of new tax to substantially fund Washington state.’ And then I’m afraid what the governor will say is, ‘Well, I don’t want to do it but I’m being forced to do it.’ I’m saying that’s not an option in Washington state and we should not be going down the road toward an income tax when really what we should be doing is stopping and asking ourselves, particularly when it comes to education, what does a 21^st Century public school system look like?

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