US Supreme Court Refuses Challenge to Washington State Tax as Repeal Referendum Gathers Steam

7 percent tax on capital gains above $250,000 could be erased by voters in November

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee speaks during the Presidential Gun Sense Forum in Des Moines, Iowa, on Aug. 10, 2019. Scott Morgan/Reuters

The U.S. Supreme Court refused last week to hear a taxpayers’ challenge to the constitutionality of Washington state’s new capital gains tax after it was upheld by the state’s supreme court.

The decision came days before Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs (D) certified on Jan. 23 that a petition for an initiative to repeal the tax contained enough voter signatures to qualify for the state ballot. The proposed initiative still has to go before the Washington State Legislature before it can appear on the ballot for the election on Nov. 5.