Washington state Democrats accidentally email their ‘radical’ tax plan to entire Senate
Washington state Democrats appeared to have accidentally emailed their sweeping revenue plans and internal talking points on tax hikes to the entirety of the upper chamber's members in Olympia, Fox News has learned.
Property tax hikes and a new double-digit tax on firearms are among proposals Washington state Democrats are considering, according to materials originally disseminated to all members by Washington Senate Deputy Floor Leader Noel Frame, D-Seattle, in late December and later obtained by Fox News Digital.
A document entitled "2025 Revenue Options" and a PowerPoint presentation describing how to talk to constituents in defense of the plan were included in the messages.
The document lists proposed figures for an 11% tax on ammunition and firearms, reclassifying storage unit rentals as a retail transaction and a lift on the property tax levy lid for certain Washingtonians.
A PowerPoint slide, highlighted by Seattle radio host Jason Rantz, described the "Best way to talk taxes" – with a chart of do’s and don’ts for lawmakers.
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Do say: "Pay what they owe" – but Don’t say: "Tax the rich" or "pay their fair share" because "taxes aren’t a punishment" the graph read.
It also suggested using the terms "funding" "providing" and "ensuring" when describing the apparent benefits of tax hikes, rather than the term "investing in [X]."
"Avoid centering the tax or talking in vague terms about ‘the economy’ or ‘education’."
One of the new proposals is that of a "capital assets ownership tax."
It is described as similar to property taxes, but instead would extend the real estate-type tax to holdings in stocks, bonds and other financial instruments.
"We can ensure that extremely wealthy Washingtonians are taxed on their assets just like middle-class families are already taxed on theirs," the slide reads.
Another line directs lawmakers to proverbially "identify the villain" that is blocking "progress" and lay out "how we can take action to solve the issue."
"We have an upside-down tax code that benefits big corporations and the wealthiest few, that was written 100 years ago and desperately needs an update for the 21st century. If we ensure Washington’s wealthiest pay what they truly owe in taxes, the rest of us will have what we need — like affordable health care, housing, and food."
Rantz said in a column for MyNorthwest.com that the plans accidentally shared present a "direct contradiction" to promises from Democrats during the election cycle and lay out 10 total new taxes on residents.
"These proposals come at a time when the state has seen years of record revenue," Rantz said, going on to claim some of the "tax schemes" may also be unconstitutional.
He added that capital gains taxes actually discourage growth and potentially lead to reduced job opportunities for the same workers pro-tax Democrats claim to want to help.
One example he presented was the departure of Amazon founder Jeffrey Bezos from Washington state. Upon establishing his new Florida residency, one of America’s richest men saved about $1 billion in taxes that also no longer go toward funding the Evergreen State’s programs.
Rantz added that the Washington state Democratic electorate often decries the affordability crisis but then goes on to re-elect the same politicians that exacerbate it.
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Additionally, as Democratic Gov.-elect Robert Ferguson is set to take office later this month, State Rep. Travis Couture, R-Allyn, slammed outgoing Gov. Jay Inslee’s 2025 budget proposal.
"This budget is not a serious proposal," said Couture, the House budget panel’s top Republican.
"Our state has a spending problem, not a revenue problem," he said.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Frame for comment but did not hear back by publication time.