Washington State Tax Fact #10: Middle Class Families Will Suffer

Washington families cannot afford another tax hike. The Evergreen State’s sales tax of 6.5 percent is already unreasonable, especially when combined with an assortment of levies on other goods like gas and alcohol. The billion dollar I-884 tax hike would bring the state and local tax burden for middle-class families earning $40,000-$50,000 annually to $3,895.

In fact, that’s an extra $195 taken out of the pockets of ordinary families every year, bringing their overall state tax load to 8.8 percent. The tax increase is hardly fair, considering that wealthy families earning over $130,000 a year would only pay 4.7 percent of their income in state and local taxes.

There’s another reason I-884 is a bad idea: the families that get hit by this tax hike will be able to purchase fewer goods, forcing many Washington companies out of business. An estimated 10,000 jobs would be lost if this sales tax hike is passed.

Average Washingtonians pay too much in taxes as it is— I-884 will make this burden even worse.

For more information, please visit http://www.freedomworks.org/washington