Rep. Cyndy Jacobsen warns income tax will hurt the economy and won’t fix unsustainable state spending
Rep. Cyndy Jacobsen, R-Puyallup, said in the House Finance Committee that she opposes enacting the first income tax in Washington history because it will harm the state’s economy and is built on unsustainable spending that revenue growth cannot sustain.
“We rank 6th from the bottom in tax competitiveness across the nation,” said Jacobsen. “A few years ago, we were very high on that list.”
“The state is spending more every year than we take in. After we pass these tax increases, we will still be back next year with a deficit because we have not solved the underlying problem, which is that we are sending more every year than we take in.”
Jacobsen is also concerned that the majority party will broaden the tax in the future to include the middle class.
“In 2023, we passed a capital gains tax. It had a high threshold and was supposedly for folks who were getting high capital gains,” said Jacobsen. “And in 2025, we just increased the rate. We continue to do that, and I fear that for this income tax.”
Senate Bill 6346 would create Washington state’s first income tax by taxing people making over $1 million (adjusted gross income) at 9.9%. Although billed as a tax on high-earners, it will affect businesses set up as partnerships and S corporations, as well as two-earner families who reach the dollar threshold.
