Articles

Seattle’s tax on achievement is a Trojan Horse that threatens the poor and middle class

August 31, 2017 | By BRIAN HODGES

One of the things that makes Washington’s legal landscape so unique is that the state constitution was drafted by people who, having just witnessed the Civil War, were wary of state and federal government. As a result, our constitution provides many protections rarely found elsewhere in the country, such as a provision prohibiting the governm ...

Articles

Seattle’s income tax is cynical and unconstitutional

October 27, 2017 | By BRIAN HODGES

Earlier this week, PLF filed a motion for summary judgment in Shock v. City of Seattle, challenging the constitutionality of Seattle’s decision to impose an income tax on so-called “high earning” residents. The City did this despite multiple decisions from the Washington Supreme Court holding that a targeted income tax violates th ...

Articles

Seattle asks the Washington Supreme Court to rewrite the law to allow a tax on success

August 02, 2018 | By BRIAN HODGES

Washington State boasts one of the most protective constitutions in the nation. Among its unique provisions, the Uniformity Clause protects individuals from discriminatory taxation by requiring that any taxes be imposed in a uniform manner. In addition to that, the state legislature, long ago, passed a law forbidding cities and counties from taxing ...