“The Freedom Foundation is not surprised Attorney General Ferguson appealed the judge’s decision directly to the state Supreme Court. Ferguson and the state are playing with our tax dollars to defend this illegal tax,” said Eric Stahlfeld, chief litigation counsel for the Freedom Foundation. “We were the first to file a lawsuit against this unconstitutional tax scheme, and we’ll continue to fight to defend Washington’s taxpayers.

“To get around its constitutional issues, backers of SB 5096 simply labeled their handiwork an excise tax on the privilege of selling capital assets. Thankfully, Judge Huber saw through the Legislature’s shell game.”

“At a time when states around the country, Democrat and Republican alike, are dealing with unexpected windfalls by providing meaningful tax relief, Washington’s political leaders not only spend every penny they can get their hands on, but turn around and demand more with the creation of a new, unconstitutional income tax scheme,” concluded Stahlfeld. “It’s disgraceful.”