Exactly as printed in the voters' pamphlet. The arguments are the opinions of their authors. No government agency, and not The Tally, checks them for accuracy.
Argument for
Vote Yes: Repeal the Income Tax, Make Olympia Keep Its Word
Trust isn’t built by passing another tax, it’s earned by keeping promises. Over the last 90 years, Washingtonians have rejected an income tax ten times because they knew it would threaten economic growth, discourage investment, and reach beyond the people originally targeted. This year, the Legislature enacted a new income tax anyway. I-645 restores your right to decide.
Taxes Always Expand
Supporters insist the tax is narrow, applying only to income above $1 million. But lawmakers rejected opportunities to permanently limit its reach, giving Olympia the ability to expand the income tax to everyone. Before asking taxpayers for more, they should demonstrate they can keep the commitments they’ve already made.
A History of Broken Promises
80 times in the last five years Olympia has moved money from dedicated accounts to the general fund. They’ve taken money from state healthcare, flood control, pipeline safety, school employees’ insurance, and others to backfill the general fund. The capital gains tax was promised to support early learning and childcare, yet those commitments were delayed, reduced, or cancelled. First responders spent careers relying on promises about their retirements, only to watch the legislature raid their pensions to plug holes in the general fund. Trust erodes when dedicated funding doesn’t produce the results people were promised.
Voting Yes repeals the new income tax before it begins, preserves the Working Families Tax Credit, paid family leave, and small-business tax relief. Voters have the final say.
Their answer to the argument against
The No campaign's claims are false. I-645 repeals the income tax. Without I-645, Olympia can expand the income tax to reach into your paycheck with the simple stroke of a pen. No public vote and no permission required, any time they want. This was never about schools or diapers, that's a scare tactic. Washington has record revenues. An income tax on anyone will become an income tax on everyone. Vote Yes.
Washington has one of the nation’s most upside-down tax systems, where working and middle class families pay a far higher tax rate than the wealthiest. I-645 would make that worse. I-645 is fiscally irresponsible, slashing billions in funding for education and healthcare, increasing taxes on 460,000 hard-working families, and jeopardizing tax cuts for thousands of small businesses.
Vote No: Stop a Tax Break for the Wealthiest
Hedge fund mogul Brian Heywood has spent millions backing I-645 because he wants a tax cut for the top 1%, while sticking working and middle class families and small businesses with higher costs. I-645 could mean higher taxes for thousands of small businesses, force families to pay sales tax for basic household items like diapers, and raise taxes for 460,000 Washington families – just so those making over a million dollars in a year get a tax break.
Vote No: Stop Cuts to Schools, Healthcare, and Childcare
This measure cuts funding for K-12 public schools, healthcare, childcare, and other important public services by $13 billion over four years. That means larger class sizes, higher costs for healthcare and childcare, and the elimination of free school lunches for many children.
Vote No: Stop Higher Costs for Working Families
I-645 gives the wealthiest a big break while the rest of us face higher healthcare and childcare costs and cuts to public schools and higher education. Join Washington nurses, teachers, and small business owners. Vote No on I-645.
Their answer to the argument for
The Millionaires Tax only applies to those making above one million dollars per year. Any attempt to expand it to those of us making under a million would be decided on the ballot - voters always have the final say. I-645 blows a $13 billion hole in the budget - don’t believe lies that we can keep tax cuts for working families and small businesses but eliminate the tax on the wealthy few that pays for them.
