{"id":895133,"date":"2026-03-28T06:28:31","date_gmt":"2026-03-28T11:28:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/28\/video-legal-challenges-certain-as-gov-ferguson-prepares-to-sign-new-income-tax\/"},"modified":"2026-03-28T06:28:31","modified_gmt":"2026-03-28T11:28:31","slug":"video-legal-challenges-certain-as-gov-ferguson-prepares-to-sign-new-income-tax","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/28\/video-legal-challenges-certain-as-gov-ferguson-prepares-to-sign-new-income-tax\/","title":{"rendered":"VIDEO: Legal challenges certain as Gov. Ferguson prepares to sign new income tax"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"853\" height=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qPw6vUoL1Fs?si=BYrIkLO7xiQHPHyk\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Three key opponents of the income tax talked to The Center Square about what they expect will happen after Ferguson signs the legislation into law<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Carleen Johnson<\/strong><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecentersquare.com\/washington\/article_e14a383d-947b-4cb4-b3fd-aea25dacf1d2.html\"><em>The Center Square Washington<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<p>A bill to institute a state income tax (<a href=\"https:\/\/app.leg.wa.gov\/billsummary\/?BillNumber=6346&#038;Year=2025&#038;Initiative=false\"><strong>SB 6346<\/strong><\/a>) has been on Gov. Bob Ferguson\u2019s desk for five days, and he\u2019s expected to sign it but opponents are gearing up for legal challenges once he does.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Ferguson has 20 days from the time of delivery to act on the legislation, meaning it will likely be signed before April 2, 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Three key opponents of the income tax talked to The Center Square about what they expect will happen after Ferguson signs the legislation into law.<\/p>\n<p>Senate Minority Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, told The Center Square in a Wednesday interview, he expects wherever the challenge comes from, it will be soon.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"853\" height=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/eHXKcWd6aOY?si=AdeyMW-0gGr3acuQ\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wouldn\u2019t be surprised if there\u2019s a couple legal challenges. The legalities are very, very obvious to anyone who wants to take the time to read the Constitution,\u201d Braun said .<\/p>\n<p>The majority Democrats pushed this issue now hoping the left leaning makeup of the Washington Supreme Court is on their side, he added.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think they believe they have an opening because of the nature of the State Supreme Court,\u201d Braun said. \u201cCan\u2019t go in too much of this topic, but it is interesting that we have so many state Supreme Court members up for reelection this fall. That certainly adds a new, and interesting dynamic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Three justices are departing by the end of 2026. Long-serving Justice Barbara Madsen is retiring next month. Justice Raquel Montoya-Lewis is not seeking reelection, and Justice Charles Johnson is required to retire at the end of 2026 when he turns 75.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn no case does any kind of legal action happen very fast. That\u2019s going to take a year, I would think, minimum, maybe two years,\u201d Braun said suggesting the lower courts are likely to follow the precedent of rulings against an income tax. \u201cBut the real test is with the State Supreme Court.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>If Ferguson signs it like he promised, the tax on income above one million dollars takes effect January 1, 2028, with the first payments due in 2029.<\/p>\n<p>It is projected to raise $3-$4 billion annually for education, tax relief for some businesses and families and to boost the general fund.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>What about a citizen initiative to overturn the income tax?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is a lot of talk out there about an initiative. I expect one in the next two years. I don\u2019t know whether it\u2019ll be this year or next year. The people are really worked up about this,\u201d Braun said. \u201cI haven\u2019t talked to a single person that\u2019s happy about this, and I\u2019ve talked to a lot of them that are just downright mad about it. So, you can\u2019t bottle that, and so maybe that means an initiative sooner rather than later is smarter. I don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Chris Gildon, R-Puyallup, told The Center Square he believes passage of the income tax could have a direct impact on whether the NBA decides to locate a franchise expansion team in Seattle.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0\u201cI wouldn\u2019t say so much as if the team comes here, but I would say, which players decide to come to that particular team, right? Because almost all of those players are going to make north of a million and they\u2019re going to be subject to the income tax, and they\u2019re going to be calculating what their net income is going to be,\u201d Gildon said. \u201cYou\u2019re talking about the tax layering effect of the B&#038;O tax, the income tax, the sales tax, the property tax, all of the taxes that we have, that layer one on top of another. And whether you\u2019re talking about business or basketball, tax policy matters.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>On Tuesday, ESPN <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nba\/story\/_\/id\/48221805\/sources-nba-set-1st-vote-las-vegas-seattle-expansion\"><strong>reported<\/strong><\/a> that the \u201cNBA will hold a vote at the board of governors meetings next week to explore adding expansion teams exclusively in Las Vegas and Seattle with the two new franchises being targeted to start play in the 2028-29 season.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Shelly Short, R-Addy, told The Center Square Wednesday she is hearing plenty of concern about the tax from her constituents in northeast Washington.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"853\" height=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qt71Pb39reU?si=g2Fh3Lgdcr-HStr7\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou know, we talked a lot about the LLCs, S Corps, and things like that. Small businesses being impacted by the income tax. Well, the piece that finally struck me was the businesses where the money that they make is considered income, personal income,\u201d said Short, noting those businesses falling under the income tax won\u2019t have the capital to reinvest, create more jobs or potentially even stay afloat.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The same day Washington Democrats passed the income tax, lawmakers also passed <a href=\"https:\/\/lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov\/biennium\/2025-26\/Pdf\/Bills\/Senate%20Passed%20Legislature\/6347.PL.pdf#page=1\"><strong>SB 6347<\/strong><\/a>, which will revert the estate tax rates to pre-2025 levels, with the top rate lowered from 35% to 20% for descendants dying on or after July 1, 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Opponents of the income tax argue rolling back the higher estate tax rate is an acknowledgment that tax the rich policies lead to capital flight.<\/p>\n<p><em>This report was first published by The Center Square Washington.<\/em><\/p>\n<div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.clarkcountytoday.com\/submit-letter-to-the-editor\/\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.clarkcountytoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/CCT-House-Ads-Letter-To-The-Editor-723x90-1.jpg\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Also read:<\/h2>\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.clarkcountytoday.com\/news\/video-wa-diesel-hits-record-6-53-crushing-truckers-and-school-budgets\/\" aria-label=\"VIDEO: WA diesel hits record $6.53, crushing truckers and school budgets\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"80\" src=\"https:\/\/www.clarkcountytoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Large_Clark-County-Today-15836-washington-diesel-record-trucking-school-costs_1-150x80.jpg\" alt=\"With diesel nearing $6.53 per gallon in Washington, trucking businesses and school districts now confront sharply higher fuel expenses affecting budgets and workers.\"  ><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.clarkcountytoday.com\/news\/video-wa-diesel-hits-record-6-53-crushing-truckers-and-school-budgets\/\">VIDEO: WA diesel hits record $6.53, crushing truckers and school budgets<\/a><\/p>\n<p>With diesel nearing $6.53 per gallon in Washington, trucking businesses and school districts now confront sharply higher fuel expenses affecting budgets and workers. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.clarkcountytoday.com\/news\/was-status-solidifies-as-one-of-the-most-expensive-places-in-us\/\" aria-label=\"WA\u2019s status solidifies as one of the most expensive places in US\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"84\" src=\"https:\/\/www.clarkcountytoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Large_Clark-County-Today-15835-washington-state-cost-living-trends-expenses-analysis-150x84.jpg\" alt=\"A new study shows Washington outpaces most states on cost of living, with metrics revealing a sharp rise in daily expenses and major metro areas ranking among the nation\u2019s most expensive.\"  ><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.clarkcountytoday.com\/news\/was-status-solidifies-as-one-of-the-most-expensive-places-in-us\/\">WA\u2019s status solidifies as one of the most expensive places in US<\/a><\/p>\n<p>A new study shows Washington outpaces most states on cost of living, with metrics revealing a sharp rise in daily expenses and major metro areas ranking among the nation\u2019s most expensive. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.clarkcountytoday.com\/opinion\/opinion-someone-explain-the-democrat-party-to-me-please\/\" aria-label=\"Opinion: Someone explain the Democrat Party to me please\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"84\" src=\"https:\/\/www.clarkcountytoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Large_Clark-County-Today-15834-democrat-party-northwest-nonsense-lars-larson-opinion-150x84.jpg\" alt=\"Lars Larson criticizes Democrat politicians for shutdown threats, Homeland Security funding refusals, and positions on election laws, housing, and gun rights.\"  ><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.clarkcountytoday.com\/opinion\/opinion-someone-explain-the-democrat-party-to-me-please\/\">Opinion: Someone explain the Democrat Party to me please<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Lars Larson criticizes Democrat politicians for shutdown threats, Homeland Security funding refusals, and positions on election laws, housing, and gun rights. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.clarkcountytoday.com\/opinion\/poll-do-you-agree-with-requiring-board-members-to-follow-council-direction\/\" aria-label=\"POLL: Do you agree with requiring board members to follow council direction?\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"84\" src=\"https:\/\/www.clarkcountytoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Large_Clark-County-Today-15831-clark-county-council-c-tran-board-debate-representation-lg-150x84.jpg\" alt=\"Disagreement among county councilors centers on whether C-TRAN board members should reflect the council\u2019s collective wishes or act independently, highlighting ongoing concerns about public accountability.\"  ><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.clarkcountytoday.com\/opinion\/poll-do-you-agree-with-requiring-board-members-to-follow-council-direction\/\">POLL: Do you agree with requiring board members to follow council direction?<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Disagreement among county councilors centers on whether C-TRAN board members should reflect the council\u2019s collective wishes or act independently, highlighting ongoing concerns about public accountability. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.clarkcountytoday.com\/news\/high-value-wa-home-listings-increase-by-65-after-income-tax-passage\/\" aria-label=\"High-value WA home listings increase by 65% after income tax passage\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"80\" src=\"https:\/\/www.clarkcountytoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Large_Clark-County-Today-15830-washington-high-value-home-listings-income-tax-real-estate-market-150x80.jpg\" alt=\"After lawmakers approved an income tax targeting millionaires, listings for homes priced at $2 million or more jumped 65 percent compared to last year, with experts urging caution about interpreting the spike.\"  ><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.clarkcountytoday.com\/news\/high-value-wa-home-listings-increase-by-65-after-income-tax-passage\/\">High-value WA home listings increase by 65% after income tax passage<\/a><\/p>\n<p>After lawmakers approved an income tax targeting millionaires, listings for homes priced at $2 million or more jumped 65 percent compared to last year, with experts urging caution about interpreting the spike. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> ClarkCountyToday.com <br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.clarkcountytoday.com\/news\/video-legal-challenges-certain-as-gov-ferguson-prepares-to-sign-new-income-tax\/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=video-legal-challenges-certain-as-gov-ferguson-prepares-to-sign-new-income-tax\" class=\"button purchase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Three key opponents of the income tax talked to The Center Square about what they expect will happen after Ferguson signs the legislation into law Carleen Johnson The Center Square Washington A bill to institute a state income tax ( SB 6346 ) has been on Gov. Bob Ferguson\u2019s desk for five days, and he\u2019s<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":895134,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22587,121],"tags":[8523,5421],"class_list":{"0":"post-895133","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-legal","8":"category-video","9":"tag-legal","10":"tag-video"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/895133","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=895133"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/895133\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/895134"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=895133"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=895133"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=895133"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}