Washington Governor Pans Wealth-Tax Proposal Amid Legal Doubt

Washington Governor Bob Ferguson said he wouldn’t sign a budget that relies on the wealth tax proposed by his fellow Democrats in the state legislature.

House and Senate budget proposals “both rely on a wealth tax which is novel, untested and difficult to implement,” Ferguson told reporters in Olympia Tuesday. “They need to immediately move budget discussions in a different direction.”

Ferguson said the state is facing a $16 billion budget deficit over the next four years, which will be exacerbated by cuts in federal funding by the Trump administration. Democrats in the Washington State Senate proposed a 1% tax ...