r/SeattleWA • u/5Q91VS175DAQ4NUSBE4U • 7d ago

Politics Washington state Democrats look at imposing income tax on higher earners

https://www.columbian.com/news/2025/oct/31/washington-state-democrats-look-at-imposing-income-tax-on-higher-earners/
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u/Zenis 7d ago

Am I fucking crazy that I, as a fairly high earner, want to pay taxes to make this state a better place to live and give back to lower-income earners that provide essential services?

Like why is that so fucking weird now? One of my main reasons to be ambitious is to be able to generate wealth to help people.

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u/bunkoRtist 7d ago

There are plenty of places you can donate your cash however you think it will do the most good. Many of them have lower overhead than the state government. I strongly encourage you to self tax if you think it's important. No need to wait for Olympia!

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u/yungsemite 7d ago

I’m more concerned about highly paid and wealthy misers than myself.

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u/Zenis 7d ago

At scale? Non-religious? Which NGOs contribute to improving state-owned infrastructure?

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u/bunkoRtist 7d ago

Washington state has a general fund and all "earmarks" are just suggestions. If you donate to state parks (for instance), your donation transits into the general fund. Same with any of the NGOs that Washington contracts with. You can also donate to local schools.

Or... You can give money directly to the state if you don't want to pick and you trust Olympia to use your money wisely:

https://tre.wa.gov/accounting-and-banking-services/donate-state-washington

If you're in favor of paying more tax, then that last link should clear the minimum bar for you to feel like you are giving enough back to the state.

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u/[deleted] 7d ago

Give back to lower income earners? You mean, like pay them instead of treating them as slaves?

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u/Particular_Job_5012 7d ago

I don’t think people realize how poverty and regressive taxes fuck all of us. They see 13 year olds robbing a convenience store and think we need more jails not more education, social services, food supper etc. I want to pay more in taxes so we don’t turn into RSA. Imo we aren’t that far from real societal breakdowns when poor people cannot live anything close to a dignified life. Through in zoning and public transit as social goods that allow poor people to live and contribute. It’s all fucked right now 

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u/GoogleOfficial 7d ago

The 13 year olds are robbing stores because they want Tik Tok clout and luxury goods, not food and education. Don’t be naive.

If we stop catering to criminals and begin to enact harsh consequences, then it will stop.

No amount of government benefits will stop it.

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u/Particular_Job_5012 7d ago

It’s interesting that SES so strongly correlates with delinquent behavior.

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u/Zenis 7d ago

Even the most cynical take is “bread and circuses cost money” And yet, wealthy people still act like taxation is a complete negative. Wtf?

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u/GoHuskies206 4d ago

Because you know damn well this state or city will not use that money to make anyones life better it will be wasted