Vote NO on I-645 and Vote EARLY!
Get the facts about I-645, the attempt to repeal the Millionaires' Tax, on this page, and VOTE NO!
Find our complete endorsements here.
If voting by mail, complete and return your ballot ASAP! Ongoing USPS changes affecting mail delivery could put your ballot at risk of arriving late. No workforce has more at stake in the decisions made by elected officials than us. Your vote is too important to leave to chance.
Click here to learn how our upside-down tax code affects public workers pay, benefits and working conditions, and how the Millionaires' Tax is designed to address it.
The Millionaires' Tax: Get the Facts
On November 3rd, there will be a ballot measure (I-645) to repeal the Millionaire’s Tax. WFSE members have endorsed a NO vote on this measure.
Washington is facing a historic budget deficit. Historically, Washington has relied on slashing state services to address budget imbalances. We need a way to balance our budget before it’s balanced on state employees’ backs once again.
Currently, the wealthy do not pay their fair share in taxes: Low-income Washingtonians pay up to 14% of their income in taxes while the wealthiest pay just 4%.
Below is information about how the Millionaires' Tax will and will not impact you.
What's in the bill:
- Expands the Working Families Tax Credit so that over 1 million more are eligible to receive up to $1300 in sales tax refunds. 1 (p.6, sec 202)
- Eliminates all sales taxes for diapers, medication, and hygiene and personal care items like deodorant. 1 (p.5, sec 905)
- Small businesses making less than $250,000/year will no longer pay B&O taxes.1 (p.67, sec. 910, ¶ 5)
- Free school lunch and breakfast for all students in Washington.1 (p.2, sec 1, ¶ 2)
- Guarantees tax dollars for childcare and early learning.1 (p.2, sec 1, ¶ 5)
- The Millionaires Tax will raise $3 billion each year for childcare, health care, and education all while lowering taxes for working families and small businesses. 2
What's not in the bill:
Our opposition is well-funded, organized, and REALLY want to maintain the tax system that has you paying around three times more of your income in taxes than they do.
They don't want to save you money. They want to save themselves money.
Here's what's NOT in the bill:
- An income tax on 99.5% of Washingtonians.
- Only households with income aver $1 million are subject to the tax. This does not include assets like property or homes.
- The rest of us - 99.5% - will never pay this tax.1 (p.3, sec 1, ¶ 9)
MYTH: You will be the next person to pay this tax; this is a slippery slope to a broad income tax.
A yes vote would cut healthcare and education to give billionaires a tax break. This tax is also indexed for inflation ' updating each October of odd-numbered years.1 (p.13, sec 316)
MYTH: All of the people who pay this tax will leave to avoid paying.
Studies show the vast majority of wealthy individuals will not move due to tax break incentives, preferring to stay in their communities and homes.3
Will the tax apply to your pension?
No. Public employees do not have pensions high enough to qualify for the Millionaires Tax – unless they have other (very) significant income.
For example, a WFSE member making $180,000 per year would have to work for 278 years to earn $1 million in annual pension benefits.
A public worker retiring after a reasonable number of years (say, 30) would have to be earning $1.67 million per year each of the last five years of their employment in order to receive a $1 million annual pension.
Learn more in the flyer below from the Economic Opportunity Institute, and visit No645.com for more resources, facts and figures.
