Sound Off: Should Washington Adopt A State Income Tax?

State Senator Rosa Franklin of Tacoma has introduced a bill in the state legislature to adopt a state income tax. The tax would lower the state sales tax by 3.5% and would eliminate the state’s portion of the property tax. The income tax rate would depend on your salary range. Sen. Franklin says it would even out the tax burden. What do you think? Should the state adopt an income tax? Email us: soundoff@old.kxly.com

Smoke the TV station with this topic.  Very unpopular in conservative Spokane, probably, but I think it’s worth considering only if it replaces other taxes that are flat-rate.  Flat-rate taxes you have to pay, whether you can afford to or not. -Ann(Spokane)

Before a state income tax is needed, there are three simple ways to save billions at no cost to the taxpayers….. 1- eliminate all paid vacations and paid holidays for anyone getting a paycheck from the state (surely people cant complain about not getting paid for not working)….. 2- eliminate the ability of anyone getting a state paycheck from retireing at age 50 with full pension…….3- start working on the health and retirement benefits of everyone getting a paycheck from the state…..this is as bad as the UAW…….4- doesnt anyone working for the state have to sacrifice anything? -Gary

It may ‘sound-reasonable’ but it’s just another giant-bureaCRAZY to sell the product of ‘higher-ed’ to fake ‘job-growth’ at everybody else’s expense, as usual. How much more paperMAKEwork will these Legishaters burden WeThePeople with? It’s endless complications/punishments. Enough is enough. -Clayton

I would support a state income tax only if the sales tax is totally eliminated and that includes the local portion of the sales tax. -David

I am not in favor of a State Individual Income Tax and neither did the incorporators of our State Constitution. How many times does this issue has to come up before State Senator Rosa Franklin of Tacoma gets it? How about we pass a law that once something is voted and rejected by the people’s vote that it cannot come back for twenty-five years. Any State Senator or Legislator who brings an issued already voted and rejected by the people will be immediately impeached and removed from office for not doing the will of the people. The people are sick and tired of being dictated by our representatives who are suppose to represent us and to defend our State Constitution. The people are also sick and tired of being their private piggybank for every special interest group and cause like gay marriage that we voted against already. I say we start petitoning for impeachment of these people that we did not even vote for since they are not from our district for wasting time and taxpayers’ dollars on something already settled. -John

This is the most stupid idea that I have heard in a long time, but what can you expect from a politician. Remember the name come election time. -Nick (Twisp)

YES! Return our money back to us! And not just during the bad economy right now…from now on! I also believe the lowest-income people should be receiving a fair shake as well…they’re the ones who need it the most! Although I know we wouldn’t have to, I’d even be willing to save ALL my spending receipts if I thought that would make a difference!The taxes in Spokane are totally out of hand…and I don’t see much return for our taxes there. A city’s downtown area is supposed to “represent” that particular city! I our downtown roads are any indication of how well our city manages our money, our tax dollars are NOT being use correctly! -CJ

Income tax, sales tax, property tax. Does it really matter.? The state will get their pound of flesh one way or another. -Dave (Spokane)

Absolutely not!  I’ve always said that the sales tax is much more equitable because everyone pays taxes that way, even those who don’t work for whatever reason.  Why should those of us who work have to carry the tax burden for everyone? -Ginnie

Absolutely NOT! This is the highest taxed state in the nation. When will the people stand up and say enough is enough? I hope all the people remember this at the next election, we should wipe the board clean of all incumbents, I think they forgot who put them into office. -Nick

I support a higher sales tax and no income tax so that those who chose not to work still pay equally to those of us who are productive members of society, at least when it comes to state taxes. -Janessa(Spokane)

NO! NO! NO! On the State Income Tax!!!!  The State needs to learn to live within its means just like most decent households do! -Harold(Pullman)

In a word – NO! That’s why retirees move to states than don’t have an income tax. Just learn to live within our means and suck it up. -Steve

Only if they totally got rid of Sales tax.   The governing bodies have trouble multi tasking as it is. -Theresa (Spokane)

No, it will allow our politicians to raise the income tax in any session.  If they cannot do that, they can easily reinstate the States part of the property tax and increase any taxes that had been lowered. -Mark (Spokane)

Here are the words for Rosa  ARE YOU NUTS? If she thinks this will even out she needs a reality check…in order for there to be income tax there has to be income…in order for there to be income there needs to be jobs and at what the average pay is in Wa. Where would it start? Go to California theirs works so well. -Judy

Absolutely not!!  We already have a ridiculously high gas tax, property taxes that are unrealistically high and sales tax.  We pay for enough of the liberals in Seattle now and all their weirdness.  We just need a governor that isn’t liberal that can balance her budget and live within our means.  Gee what a unique idea, too bad the entire nation can’t do that. -Bodie

For at least 50 years, voters have been telling the Democrats “NO”. It’s a two-letter word, for Pete’s sake! Why can’t they understand it? -MJ

What a bunch of CRAP.  How about the state lives within its means and quits attempting to pick pocket from the taxpayers?  Doesn’t a state income tax have to be voted on and accepted by the voters in Washington State? -Vickie (Spokane)

Actually that’s a good idea, and it makes sense. SO YOU KNOW THAT AINT GONNA HAPPEN. -John

I like your sound off but this one is tough to comment on because of lack of information. Like on how much State income tax, Can people that are on pension be taxed? How much property tax, would it save and who’s property. This is very vague. -Brad (Kettle Falls)

At this point, adopting a state income tax would do nothing but place yet another burden upon the backs of the citizens who still have jobs. Olympia needs to stop beating the citizens for more and more money to raise bureaucrat and politician’s salaries, and to fill all the open hands that are looking to be filled with tax money, just because they are breathing, and start funding only what is absolutely ESSENTIAL. -Michael

NO! However, the state needs to seriously overhaul all forms of taxes if they expect anyone to seriously consider an income tax. While the state has no Income tax, it is in our pocket for anything and everything and they still holler poverty, when is enough enough. I am convinced the legislature needs to do a lot of home work before they try to pull this off again. With the economy in its present condition, it would seem to me that even considering an income tax, at this time, is horribly misplaced.  I would not vote for income tax nor would anyone that I know. -Jill

NO!!!!!! Washington State is the highest taxed state any more taxes and they are going to tax people right into moving to another state. -Linda(Springdale)

NO, NO, AND HELL NO!  We should all be aware that they never LOWER taxes just raise them.  Once they get the income tax, they can just raise it.  Besides, visitors help fund our budget. -Sue

Where in the heck does it end? First, it’s trying to tax vehicles, then it’s trying to charge us for every mile we drive and now a state income tax is looming on the horizon. How much can one person bear especially in this shaky economy? I, for one, will be writing to the powers that be protesting vehemently. -Diane (Spokane)

NO!   If you make more money, you buy more stuff. You are taxed on the money you spend, not earn. You get taxed on what you can afford to buy rather than on what you make.  Sales tax does not take money away that you may not be able to do without.  NO INCOME TAX. -Alexandra

We do not need a State Income Tax; we need the state government to be good managers of the funds they receive that has not been the case for the last 40 years.  Idaho added state income tax and they only started with a 1% sales tax, now there up to 6+ %, and climbing.  If you add state income tax to get through this mess,  there better be a non reversible cut off of that system in 6 years, and a dismantling of the agency’s set up to manage it because probably 1/3 of the money gained will be used to manage the process.  Bad Deal all around. -Mike(Spokane)

How’s that working out for California? Are you nuts? -Tim

I was just asking my wife. They kept raising the gas tax for roads, but nothing new was being done. Where did the money go other than trips and raises. Someone needs to monitor what the crooks do with the money. -Mike

When will they learn that they can only take 100%? Either we have a sales tax or we have an income tax, but not both. The politicians acting as a front for Governor Quagmire want to punish us for their inability to cut pork barrel spending and GOVERNMENT jobs. Now begins the mass exodus from Washington State where our supposed ONE BILLION DOLLAR SURPLUS   during the election campaigning suddenly  (as of yesterday) officially became a TEN BILLION DOLLAR DEFICIT.     Shame on you Christine! You certainly don’t have my support. -Wayne(Newport)

When you tax our income, the poor do not have enough and the rich get the loop holes. Which means that we, the middle class, carry the burden.  How does that balance out equally? And they may lower some taxes, but I bet they will get them back very shortly. -Christine

NO we the citizens voted to do away with the state income tax back in the 70’s and now because the state is over spending because of their fat salaries we’re suppose to pay the price by having our earnings tax both by the federal government and the state. Hell no let the governor, senators, and state representatives take a pay cut. And stop wasting our dollars on projects that are beyond what they were supposed to have been budgeted for. -Steve(Mead)

No way. With this worthless stimulus package we cannot afford more taxes. Higher taxes are not the cure. Responsible spending is. Gee I guess we better get rid of everyone in the House and Senate and start over. -Stu (Newman Lake)

It says the sales tax would temporarily be lowered to 5.3% and that some of the state’s SHARE of property tax would be reduced. IT DID NOT SAY PROPERTY TAXES WOULD BE REDUCED. Don’t trust them! -Dave (Spokane)