Rep. Walsh outlines ‘demise of an unconstitutional tax scheme’ as GOP fights Ferguson’s ‘income tax’

As Washington Governor Bob Ferguson has yet to sign an extremely controversial tax on millionaires, Washington Rep. Jim Walsh told “The John Curley Show” that Republican lawmakers are working to stop the bill.

KIRO host John Curley said he was tipped off to a “secret meeting” that occurred last Friday, and asked Walsh what lawmakers are planning.

“The demise of an unconstitutional tax scheme,” Walsh responded.

He said Republican leaders debated next steps, such as a potential lawsuit, initiative, or running candidates for the Legislature this fall on the issue.

Their answer? All of the above.

“There will be lawsuits, there will be initiatives, and there will be a lot of people running for the state Legislature to try to get this thing turned around,” Walsh explained. “None of them are competitive. I think filing a lawsuit against it is natural and necessary. And I think it’ll have a synergy with an initiative project, because I think it’ll keep the whole thing in the news, and people realize — this is a state income tax.”

Rep. Walsh warns ‘millionaire tax’ will eventually affect everyone

Walsh warned the tax won’t just affect millionaires, but will eventually encompass everyone, from rich tech bros to the guy flipping burgers at McDonald’s. Curley then played a clip of Ferguson stating the tax will only apply to someone after they make their first million in income.

“You’re not taxed on the first $990,000 you make in a year, for example,” Ferguson said in an interview. “And that’s why it’s very specific to just one half of 1% of all Washingtonians. So I feel confident we’ll be able to maintain it at that level.”

Curley pointed out the last part, where Ferguson said he is “confident we’ll be able to maintain it at that level.”

“Ferguson is lying,” Walsh responded. “They are going to lower the threshold for the tax.”

Walsh said Republican leaders introduced an amendment clearly stating the bill would be null and void if the threshold was ever lowered, but Democrats refused to add it.

“They will get this into law, and if we don’t turn it around with a lawsuit or initiative, they’re going to lower the threshold,” he said. “And mind you, the threshold is one little paragraph, so all you have to do is delete the paragraph, and the state income tax applies to everyone in Washington.”

Republican leaders are currently working toward building the lawsuit and an initiative before candidates run in the fall. Walsh explained that if they wanted to get the initiative to voters this year, the deadline for signatures would be the first week of July.

“So through the spring and early summer, we’d be collecting signatures for that, and that’d be in the news,” he said. “And the lawsuit will, of course, go on its own timeline, but it’ll get filed. That’ll focus more on the constitutional elements of it. That is, it’s unconstitutional. And then all of that builds up, I think, a groundswell that’ll help common-sense candidates this fall. I think they all fit together.”

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

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