A Dec. 3 Chronicle article outlined a socialist tax proposal by Democrat Rep. Shaun Scott and Sen. Rebecca Saldana of Seattle.
In my April 3, 2025, letter to the editor, I proposed an “excise” tax on all state elected officials and state employees. My letter was a tongue-in-cheek effort to start people seriously thinking about the ability of our Legislature to single out a specific group of people and punish them through taxation.
Scott and Saldana’s proposal is not tongue-in cheek.
A recent example is the special capital gains tax placed on millionaires and an older law, RCW 26.19.090, that forces divorced parents with children — but only divorced parents with children — to pay for their children’s college education.
Currently, that amounts to more than $35,000 per year at the University of Washington.
Scott and Saldana’s proposal would place a 5% payroll “excise” tax on those earning $125,000 per year or more. There are caveats for different sized companies, but if you earn $200,000 per year working for Boeing, Microsoft, Amazon or others, your tax bill will be $10,000.
The current Democrat buzzword “affordability” is stressed to justify this proposed excise tax. A major component of unaffordability in Washington state is excessive taxation and regulation. Combined with last year’s enormous tax increases, passing this new excise tax proposal would worsen the situation.
It is reported that Gov. Bob Ferguson does not support this payroll tax, and Sen. John Braun stated that a payroll tax will not pass the Legislature. I take them at their word, but can we afford continued support for elected officials who think and legislate like Scott and Saldana?
Gregory Riplinger
Centralia
