The fifth of six submitted initiatives to the 2024 Washington State Legislature sponsored by Republican State Party Chair Jim Walsh and funded by right wing multimillionaire Brian Heywood was certified today, which means it is destined for the November 2024 ballot for approval or rejection by voters.
Although Washington State does not currently levy an income tax, Initiative 2111 nevertheless seeks to prohibit the state and its localities from levying one. It also attempts to significantly broaden the definition of what an income tax is to lay the groundwork for future right wing legal challenges to existing state taxes. That could jeopardize funding for paid family and medical leave in Washington as well as education and long-term care, making I‑2111 potentially very destructive.
According to the Secretary of State’s Elections Division, 26,763 pages of signatures were received for I‑2081, containing 448,158 lines.
324,516 valid signatures are currently required to qualify a statewide initiative.
Initiative 2111 had a sufficient cushion of extra signatures to qualify for a random sample check as allowed by state law, which consisted of 13,445 signatures.
Of those, 10,868 were accepted and 2,577 were reviewed. 2,566 signatures were determined to be invalid, and eleven were determined to be duplicate.
Secretary Hobbs today transmitted a certification message to the Legislature affixed with the state seal, advising of I‑2111’s qualification.
Legislative staff have given I‑2111 its own bill-style page on leg.wa.gov.
The ballot title for I‑2111 is as follows:
Initiative Measure No. 2111 concerns taxes.
This measure would prohibit the state, counties, cities, and other local jurisdictions from imposing or collecting income taxes, defined as having the same meaning as “gross income” in the Internal Revenue Code.
Should this measure be enacted into law? Yes [ ] No [ ]
The summary is as follows:
This measure would prohibit the state, counties, cities, and other local jurisdictions from imposing or collecting income taxes, defined as having the same meaning as “gross income” in the Internal Revenue Code.
The definition of gross income in federal law is found at 26 U.S. Code § 61:
(a) General definition
Except as otherwise provided in this subtitle, gross income means all income from whatever source derived, including (but not limited to) the following items:
- Compensation for services, including fees, commissions, fringe benefits, and similar items;
- Gross income derived from business;
- Gains derived from dealings in property;
- Interest;
- Rents;
- Royalties;
- Dividends;
- Annuities;
- Income from life insurance and endowment contracts;
- Pensions;
- Income from discharge of indebtedness;
- Distributive share of partnership gross income;
- Income in respect of a decedent; and
- Income from an interest in an estate or trust.
(b) Cross references
For items specifically included in gross income, see part II (sec. 71 and following). For items specifically excluded from gross income, see part III (sec. 101 and following).
Legislators have three choices as to how to respond to I‑2111:
- Do nothing, in which case it goes to voters
- Adopt the measure into law
- Send it to the November 2024 ballot with an alternative
NPI opposes Initiative 2111 and is working for the measure’s defeat. Because the chances of the Democratic-controlled Legislature approving I‑2111 are pretty much nonexistent, it will be getting forwarded automatically to the ballot, as mentioned above. NPI’s Stop Greed project is urging a no vote on I‑2111; if you’d like to support this effort, you can donate to Stop Greed here using ActBlue.
We also invite you to join us in voting NO on I‑2111 later this year.
Initiative 2111 (prohibiting fair taxation based on ability to pay) gets certified is a post from NPI's Cascadia Advocate, the journal of the Northwest Progressive Institute. Published continuously since March of 2004, NPI's Cascadia Advocate provides thoughtful commentary and analysis on regional, national, and world politics. Keep The Cascadia Advocate going by making a contribution to sustain NPI's research and advocacy here.