成人X站

If you鈥檙e a millionaire, a mega-corporation, or a company hoarding electric car credits, you might want to sit down.

Democrats in Washington state’s House and Senate dropped five brand-new tax bills Tuesday鈥攐n Tax Day, of course鈥攖hat aim to wring more cash out of the state鈥檚 wealthiest players and biggest industries.

The target? More funding for schools, clean energy, and public services.

The mood? Less “nickel and dime,” more “fork it over.”

All five bills are scheduled for their first public hearing Wednesday, giving supporters and critics barely any time to digest the details.

It’s all part of a democratic strategy to cover what Washington Governor Bob Ferguson has said is a $16 billion shortfall in tax revenue needed to fund already-existing programs over the next two years. Republicans have already blasted the proposals, saying lawmakers need to reduce spending, not increase taxes.

Here鈥檚 what鈥檚 on the legislative table:

SB 5814: Sales taxes expand, and big retailers get an early bill

The flashiest bit in this one? Big retailers would be forced to pre-pay part of their 2027 sales tax liability in 2026鈥攐r get slapped with a 10% penalty.

Under , any business making $3 million or more in sales during 2026 would have to pay 80% of their June 2027 sales tax by June 25鈥攁 full month early. Miss the deadline or underpay? That鈥檚 a 10% fine unless you can prove a serious revenue drop.

But that鈥檚 not all. This bill also updates the tax code for the digital age:

• Services like IT consulting, website design, advertising, and staffing? Now taxed like retail goods.
• Digital services involving human effort鈥攍ike live webinars, ad targeting, and data analysis鈥攁lso get hit with sales tax.
• Non-tobacco nicotine products (think synthetic vapes)? Treated just like tobacco for tax purposes.

Why? Democrats say it鈥檚 about fairness, consistency, and creating a more stable revenue stream to support things like health care and education. For businesses, though, it鈥檚 a tax buffet鈥攁nd they鈥檙e the main course.

SB 5813: ‘Tax the Rich’ becomes official education policy

puts a big, shiny target on high earners and ultra-wealthy estates.

Remember Washington鈥檚 7% capital gains tax? The tax voters decided in November to keep. This bill adds a new top tier of 9.9% on gains over $1 million, starting in 2025.

No changes to retirement accounts or real estate, but if you鈥檙e cashing out stocks or selling a business鈥攜ep, you鈥檒l be paying more.

On the estate side: The exemption rises to $3 million (up from just over $2.1M), but the top tax rate jumps from 20% to 35% for estates worth over $9 million.

Where鈥檚 the money going? Straight into the Education Legacy Trust Account鈥攚hich funds K-12 schools, higher ed, early learning, and financial aid programs.

SB 5815: B and O Tax gets beefed up

Big businesses, consider this your formal request to chip in more.

hikes Washington鈥檚 already unique Business and Occupation (B and O) tax rates for several sectors:

• Retail, manufacturing, and wholesale: from ~0.48% to 0.5%
• Gambling (aka 鈥渃ontests of chance鈥�): from 1.5% to 1.8%
• High-income service providers (earning over $1M/year): from 1.75% to 2.1%

Then there鈥檚 the heavy hitter: a temporary 0.5% surcharge on businesses pulling in more than $250 million in WA-based revenue, with tech companies being the primary target.

Advanced computing companies? Their surcharge would skyrocket from 1.22% to 5%, and the cap on that tax would rise from $9 million to $50 million per year.

Where鈥檚 the extra money going? Right into public schools, health care, and social programs. In other words: the state鈥檚 biggest earners just got handed the check.

SB 5812: Property taxes get smarter鈥攁nd schools get the benefit

appears to be a remix of Washington鈥檚 school funding formula.

First up: the property tax cap. Instead of a flat 1% growth limit, the new formula ties annual increases to population growth + inflation, with a 3% max. That means growing communities won鈥檛 get left behind.

But there鈥檚 some confusion about how this pairs with another bill proposing to raise the local portion of property taxes from 1% to 3%.

School districts would also get more room to raise local levy dollars鈥攗p to $5,035 per student by 2031, adjusted for inflation.

For poorer districts, the state would chip in more through Local Effort Assistance, adding up to $300 more per student over the next few years.

Special education also gets a major upgrade:

• The current cap limiting SPED services to 16% of enrolled students? Gone in 2028.
• A set portion of basic ed funding will be directly funneled into special ed programs.

Plus, a new workgroup will re-evaluate the entire school funding system, with a report due in late 2025.

Bottom line: This isn鈥檛 just a tax hike鈥攊t鈥檚 a long-term structural play to get schools the money they need, when and where they need it.

SB 5811: Tesla鈥檚 free ride on EV credits could be over

If had a motto, it鈥檇 be: 鈥淚f you鈥檙e profiting off EV credits without actually putting EVs on our roads鈥攑ay up.鈥�

Tesla and other electric-only automakers have made millions by selling off excess Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) credits earned under Washington鈥檚 clean car rules. This bill slaps a tax on that hustle:

• Selling credits? 2% tax.
• Banking credits for later? 10% of average credit price, per year.
• Pooling credits to other states? 10% tax鈥攐r 50% if you鈥檙e not selling enough EVs here.

Small players (those with fewer than 25,000 EVs per model year) are exempt from the first two, but pooled credits? Always taxed.

Where does the money go?

• 30% to EV incentives (rebates, charging stations, etc.).
• 70% to the state鈥檚 general fund until 2027, and the carbon reduction fund after that.

In short: Tesla鈥檚 cash cow is about to get milked.

Final take

Each of the Senate Bills has a companion bill in the House that could move on a parallel track, but the bills will have to move quickly because the session ends April 27.

This five-bill blitz isn鈥檛 just a bunch of tax tweaks鈥攊t鈥檚 a wave of new revenue-raising policies, layered on top of a half-dozen other proposals already working their way through Olympia.

Democratic lawmakers say it鈥檚 about equity, sustainability, and smart public investment. And they鈥檙e going where the money is.

So whether you鈥檙e a billionaire, a Big Tech exec, a booming business owner, or just a regular property owner, the message from the Democratic majority is loud and clear: It鈥檚 time to pay more so the state can spend more.

Matt Markovich is the 成人X站 Newsradio political analyst. Follow him on聽. Read more of his stories here.