Does Gov. Jay Inslee support a state income tax? No, he does not
The claim: Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Bryant’s campaign is attacking Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee, claiming Inslee will usher in a state income tax. Bryant’s campaign put up an online tax calculator, where voters can enter their incomes and see how much they’d “likely pay” if Inslee wins a second term. In Facebook posts, Bryant’s campaign has added slogans like “Jay Inslee wants you to pay a new income tax.”
What we found: Mostly false.
Inslee does have credibility problems on taxes. When running for his first term in 2012, he said he opposed new taxes and would veto them. He broke that pledge in 2014, proposing $1.4 billion in new revenue, including new fees on carbon emissions and a tax on capital gains targeted at the wealthiest Washingtonians.
Those proposals faced strong Republican opposition and were dropped as the booming economy boosted existing tax collections.
But Bryant’s tax calculator is misleading at best. It is based on a bill introduced by state Sen. Maralyn Chase, D-Shoreline, that would have created a progressive state income tax, with rates of 2.2 percent for lower-income people on up to 6 percent for higher-wage earners.
Read more: http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/does-gov-jay-inslee-support-a-state-income-tax-no-he-does-not/
