LEGISLATURE 2025-26 / RON MUZZALL: Wealth tax resurrected as WA Dems advance several revenue bills out of executive session

Carleen Johnson reports from the Washington State Legislature for The Center Square. Read the whole story.

(The Center Square) – Democrats in the Washington State Senate resurrected a wealth tax on Friday, with the Ways & Means Committee giving a scaled-back version of the legislation a do-pass recommendation on a party-line vote out of executive session.

Senate Bill 5814 also advanced out of executive session with a do-pass recommendation. The bill concerns “modernizing the excise taxes on select services and nicotine products and requiring certain large businesses to make a one-time prepayment of state sales tax collection.”

Sen. Ron Muzzall, R-Oak Harbor, offered an amendment to insulate rural hospitals from the prepaid tax collections. The amendment did not pass.

They Said It

“We continue to see our rural hospitals suffering financially and in most cases operating in negative margins, and we continue to talk about the cost of healthcare,” [Muzzall] said. “This is just going to add to the cost of healthcare.”

Chair June Robinson, D-Everett, urged members to reject the amendment, saying it was “very broad” and would need refining.