Washington State Republicans are calling for “civil disobedience” and urging Seattle residents to refuse to pay a new tax aimed at Seattle residents. The new tax, state Republicans argue, is illegal and unconstitutional.
Fox News reports:
Republicans in Washington state are calling for “civil disobedience” as they openly encourage Seattle residents to refuse paying a newly passed income tax that critics claim is illegal.
The tax, passed by the Seattle City Council, targets high-income earners as part of what local lawmakers call “a new formula for fairness.”
But critics and analysts say it was passed in defiance of state law, and the state GOP has escalated its opposition by urging residents to “forcefully resist.”
“This law is unconstitutional, illegal, and against the voter’s will expressed nine times at the ballot box and it deserves nothing less than civil disobedience – that is, refusal to comply, file or pay,” the Washington State Republican Party said in a written statement.
The tax measure would require residents to pay a 2.25 percent tax if they are a single filer and make more than $250,000 annually or file jointly and make more than $500,000.
“Our goal is to replace our regressive tax system with a new formula for fairness while ensuring Seattle stands up to President Trump’s austere budget that cuts transportation, affordable housing, healthcare and social services,” outgoing Democratic Mayor Ed Murray said.
. . . . Opponents of the bill, however, argue that Seattle’s plan to tax the rich is unconstitutional, because the state of Washington imposes strict limits on taxes; prohibits taxes on net income; and requires cities to get permission to tax residents.
Seattle’s tax seems to fail these tests, but local officials like Councilmember Kshama Sawant aren’t backing down and have enthusiastically signaled the city is ready to fight in what could be a very costly legal battle.
Join the conversation!
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please hover over that comment, click the ∨ icon, and mark it as spam. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.