Kit Merker

For many years Washington state had positive net migration (more Americans moved TO Washington than away from it). For example 2018 it was 38,000+ people and 2019 it was 32,000+ people. We had some of the most business friendly policies and our economy was booming. And with zero income tax, workers could keep more of their salary than if they lived in California or New York. Seattle's skyline was littered with cranes and the future seemed bright for the Evergreen state. Then in 2021 the Washington legislature passed an unconstitutional capital gains tax and for the first time in a very long time Washington experienced a severe out migration (almost 44,000 people left on net). The Democrat legislature likes to contend that people don't leave because of their punitive tax policies, but the data strongly suggest otherwise. With the passing of a fully fledged income tax in 2026, we are likely to witness the largest out migration in our state's history, shrinking our tax base and harming our economy. Now Washington's future seems as gray and gloomy as a Seattle winter's day.

See the NEXT TAX in Washington? With the “wealthy” leaving…. Who will pay this tax? The leftovers. The Middle Class. It never stops with the evil villains of yesterday because you’ll be the evil villain of tomorrow.

If Washington is going to make the taxes nearly the same, they must include an amendment to fix his awful weather.

"Washington has been one of the fastest-growing states for decades. It conspicuously avoided the “blue-state disease” of low economic growth and population declines. The Seattle area is home to great companies from Microsoft and Amazon to Starbucks. Washington has been the Florida or Texas of the West Coast. A secret to the Evergreen State’s success has been that it has no income tax. But Democrats in Olympia are perilously close to enacting a “millionaire tax” of 9.9%. Washington would go from being one of nine states with no income tax to having the fifth-highest rate in the country. The tax has passed both legislative houses and Gov. Bob Ferguson says he’ll sign it. Supporters hope the state supreme court will uphold it, overturning or brushing aside a 1933 precedent under which it is plainly unconstitutional. The decision to enact an income tax bodes ill for Washington’s economic future. Eleven states have done so since 1960: West Virginia, Indiana, Michigan, Nebraska, Illinois, Maine, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Ohio, New Jersey and Connecticut. We found that every one of them significantly underperformed the rest of the nation in every economic measure we looked at, including share of the nationwide population, income, and state and local tax revenue. The 11 states in combination accounted for about one-third of national output in 1970. Today they account for slightly more than one-fifth. Since Ohio adopted its income tax in 1971, its share of nationwide domestic output has fallen by nearly half. Since Michigan adopted its income tax in 1967, its share of total state and local tax revenue nationwide has fallen by 53%. Pennsylvania’s share of national output declined 42% since its income tax of 1971; West Virginia has lagged national population growth by 56% since its income tax of 1961; and Rhode Island’s share of state and local tax revenue nationally has plummeted by a third since its income tax of 1971. In terms of the change in its share of the nation’s population, economic output and population, not one of the new income-tax states registers a positive number since the imposition of this tax. And the negative numbers are often highly negative. In every state that adopted an income tax, supporters promised the added money would be used to improve education. Washington is trying to play this card, saying the tax hike is for education, but the statements from lawmakers make it clear they want a new fund for any of their spending desires. When the Washington House approved the income tax, Rep. April Berg, chairman of the Finance Committee, triumphantly declared this plan “truly historic” because it will “make life more affordable for Washingtonians.” Many of them will not be Washingtonians anymore. Illinois added its income tax in 1969, and since then its share of the national population has sunk by 40%. By following suit, Washington will join the ranks of the incredible shrinking states." -- Wall Street Journal

To every kid with a learning disability: don’t let anyone — not even the President of the United States — bully you. Dyslexia isn’t a weakness. It’s your strength.