Pushing Back on Taxes
January 4, 2024
Effort to Repeal WA Capital Gains Tax, Plus Other Initiatives
Signatures for last of 6 measures turned in to secretary of state
curated
A conservative group’s effort to eliminate Washington’s capital gains tax, among other initiatives, took a step forward last week when it turned in a petition with nearly 420,000 signatures to the Secretary of State’s Office.
The six initiatives pursued by Let’s Go Washington are part of a larger effort to push back on legislation passed by the Democratic-controlled Legislature.
The group’s goal is to get all six on the November 2024 ballot.
On Thursday afternoon, 424,896 signatures for the sixth and final initiative, which advocates for allowing people to opt out of Washington’s long-term care program established by the WA Cares Act, were turned in. Allowing people to opt out could fiscally undermine the program, according to Jessica Gomez, campaign manager of We Care For WA Cares.
Let’s Go Washington, which is being bankrolled by Redmond businessman Brian Heywood, has spent more than $6 million to gather the signatures since June with a mix of volunteers and paid signature collectors.
“I’m putting this out there for a vote,” Heywood said this week. “Let’s give everybody a vote on these, and if they don’t pass, if I’m wrong and people don’t support these ideas, then the people have spoken.”…
In its first year, nearly $900 million was collected from the capital gains tax, which applies to the sale of stocks and bonds exceeding $250,000, according to the Department of Revenue. The law was previously challenged and, in March, was upheld by the Washington Supreme Court…
Along with the effort to repeal the capital gains tax and give people the ability to opt out of WA Cares, Let’s Go Washington also wants to:
- Loosen restrictions on when law enforcement officers can engage in vehicle pursuits.
- Give parents authority to review public school textbooks, demand notification for medical services and opt their kids out of sex education.
- Repeal the carbon-pricing system for greenhouse gas emissions.
- Bar cities or counties from adopting an income tax. Read more