Money

NY Times - Washington is one of just nine states that does not tax income, and over the years, that has been a lure for people eager to live in a place with socially liberal policies and the culture of a progressive state — but the tax code of a more conservative one.

“It’s who we are,” said John Braun, the Republican leader in the state senate.

Yet last week, in a sign that frustration with the super rich might be rising, even in the state where Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates made their fortunes, the State Senate approved what supporters and opponents alike call the “millionaires tax,” a proposed 9.9 percent annual tax on personal earnings over $1 million, enough to bring in $3.7 billion a year.

Members of the state House must now decide whether to embrace the tax — and the fundamental shift it represents in how Washington pays for schools, health care and other public services — before their 2026 legislative session ends on March 12.