Building an Economy that Works for Everyone

Initiative 1098: How will Washington’s effective income tax rates stack up?

EffectiveTaxRates-Aug10

Short Answer: The top 1% of taxpayers in Washington will have an average effective tax rate of 4%. That puts Washington’s ranking for this group of wealthy taxpayers at 27th out of the 44 states (including Washington, D.C.) that tax income.

Households with income below $200,000 will not be affected – and neither will the vast majority of those with adjusted gross income (AGI) between $200,000 and $400,000. That’s because roughly 85% of income tax returns with adjusted gross income above $200,000 are joint returns, and I?1098’s income tax provisions kick in at $400,000 for couples.

Background: Initiative 1098 adds a tax on the top 1.2% of filers to fund education and health care.

  • Individual filers with income of $200,000 or less and joint filers with income of $400,000 or less – nearly 99% of Washington tax filers – would not pay.
  • A 5% rate applies only to individual AGI between $200,000 and $500,000, or joint AGI between $400,000 and $1 million. This means a couple with income of $400,001 would pay 5 cents in state income tax.
  • A 9% rate applies to individual AGI in excess of $500,000, and joint AGI in excess of $1 million. For example, an individual with income of $500,001 would pay $15,000 for the increment between $200,000 and $500,000, and 9 cents for the dollar above $500,000, or $15,000.09.

Initiative 1098 Tax Rates and Income Thresholds for Individual and Joint Filers

Rate Individual Filer Threshold Joint Filer Threshold
n/a All AGI under $200,000 All AGI under $400,000
5% All AGI between $200,000 – $500,000 All AGI between $400,000 – $1,000,000
9% All AGI over $500,000 All AGI over $1,000,000

Taxpayers could also deduct state income tax from federal taxable income, so about one quarter of the new state tax would be offset by a reduction in their federal income taxes. And I?1098’s provision for a 20% reduction in the state portion of the property tax will apply to all property owners.

Looking for more information about Initiative 1098? Visit the Economic Opportunity Institute website.

  • Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

More To Read

March 20, 2024

I-2111: The Income Tax Ban Is A Spectacle, but One We Can’t Ignore

A way to waste time, energy, and money, I-2111 is costing more than just taxes

March 20, 2024

Let’s Go Washington: Three initiatives threatening to roll back years of progress

Here’s what you need to know about the initiatives on your November ballot

March 12, 2024

Washington’s Women Are More Protected This Equal Pay Day

Thanks to an update to the state's wage discrimination protections, Washington woman are closer to closing the wage gap