‘Illegal and a dumb idea’: WA Rep. Jim Walsh blasts Democrats’ proposed millionaire tax

Washington Democratic senators are considering a 9.9% income tax on millionaires that they believe would help shore up the multi-billion-dollar budget shortfall expected in 2026. The new tax would apply to individuals with an adjusted gross income of more than $1 million, and affect roughly 20,000 households in WA, while raising $3 billion annually.

Washington State Representative and Republican Party Chairman Jim Walsh joined “The John Curley Show” on KIRO Newsradio to discuss the proposed millionaire’s income tax and why he believes it’s unconstitutional.

“The millionaire’s income tax is unconstitutional. It is illegal, and it’s a dumb idea. I don’t know if [Ferguson] knows it’s a dumb idea or not, but he’s giving in to the worst minds on his side of the political spectrum. And God bless us, we have the Constitution on our side,” Walsh said. “Their arguments are just goofy; they can try to cram through some harebrained misreading of Article Seven of the Constitution, but at some point, the Supreme Court is not going to be able to twist the law like a pretzel to make these bad ideas stick.”

Walsh continued to argue that the proposed tax is unconstitutional and said he hopes to challenge it in federal court, though he acknowledged federal courts have been reluctant to hear state tax cases.

“So far, the federal courts have been very hesitant to take on state tax policy issues. We have to push the issue to federal courts, and I think a combination of the Equal Protection language in the 14th Amendment and the Dormant Commerce Clause might be able to get this issue into the federal courts, but it’s tough,” Walsh said. “Federal courts have been resistant to look at this, and really, they just say, if you guys are dumb enough to elect these people, then you’re going to have to deal with the consequences.

“That’s just punishing people. That’s wrecking our economy, and we have to fight back more aggressively. We’re going to win this fight,” Walsh continued. “I mean, this is nonsense. Governor Ferguson’s position is flagrant and unconstitutional. You know, we’re losing taxpayers in this state about one every half hour, and we can’t continue to do that, or we’re going to wreck our economy.”

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

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