{"id":2969,"date":"2026-01-20T15:48:20","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T22:48:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/senatedemocrats.wa.gov\/stanford\/?p=2969"},"modified":"2026-01-20T15:48:20","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T22:48:20","slug":"taxing-millionaires-to-pay-for-schools-health-care-and-other-programs-we-all-need-and-use","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/senatedemocrats.wa.gov\/stanford\/2026\/01\/20\/taxing-millionaires-to-pay-for-schools-health-care-and-other-programs-we-all-need-and-use\/","title":{"rendered":"Taxing millionaires to pay for schools, health care, and other programs we all need and use"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dear friends and\u00a0neighbors,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We\u00a0have an\u00a0opportunity\u00a0this session\u00a0to finally take a\u00a0significant\u00a0step\u00a0forward\u00a0in\u00a0fixing our state\u2019s broken tax\u00a0code\u00a0by asking the wealthiest\u00a0among us to pay\u00a0a little more\u00a0to help\u00a0<\/span>fund schools, health care, and other necessities families are struggling to afford.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Federal cuts to health care and education, combined with inflation,\u00a0are driving up the cost of everything from food to housing and stretching\u00a0household\u00a0budgets.\u00a0On top of that, our\u00a0upside-down\u00a0tax structure\u00a0is\u00a0failing to keep\u00a0up with the needs of\u00a0Washington\u00a0families.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The reason average families\u00a0are feeling the squeeze\u00a0is because Washington still stands out as having one of the<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>most regressive<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>tax codes in the country\u00a0\u2013 that\u00a0m<\/span>eans in\u00a0nearly\u00a0every\u00a0other state\u00a0the wealthy pay more than they do here in Washington.\u00a0\u00a0Our state has\u00a0even\u00a0been\u00a0compared to\u00a0<\/span>tax havens like the Cayman Islands<\/span><\/a>\u00a0due to our unfair tax structure.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We all contribute for shared public benefit, yet low- and middle-income families pay a much higher percentage of their income\u00a0in taxes\u00a0than the wealthy. Those in our state\u00a0<\/span>with income in the bottom 20% pay 13.8% of their income in taxes, while the top 1% pays only 4.1%.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A millionaire tax is one of several ideas\u00a0we\u2019ll\u00a0consider this session\u00a0to make our tax code fairer.\u00a0A\u00a09.9% tax on annual income\u00a0in excess of\u00a0$1 million\u00a0(not including capital gains)\u00a0would\u00a0affect fewer than 0.5% of\u00a0people and\u00a0generate\u00a0an estimated<\/span>\u00a0$3.5 billion each year to<\/span>\u00a0help pay for<\/span>\u00a0great public schools, health care, public safety, and the services that our most vulnerable residents count on.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Gov. Bob Ferguson\u00a0recently\u00a0<\/span>announced his support for\u00a0the idea<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0and a\u00a0new\u00a0poll showed\u00a0<\/span>strong support, even among Republicans<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Getting a proposal like this passed this year would help\u00a0reduce or\u00a0eliminate\u00a0other\u00a0regressive\u00a0taxes\u00a0without harming essential state services.\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0optimistic we can get\u00a0it\u00a0passed this\u00a0session\u00a0to\u00a0set us on a\u00a0sustainable path\u00a0for future years.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Stay engaged<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I hope you will continue sharing the issues that matter most to you and your family.\u00a0<\/span>If\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0looking to get more involved this session, here are a few ways to do so:\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n