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Tag: Bill Gates Sr.

Voters wild about `direct democracy’

Voters wild about `direct democracy’

The use of  the initiative and referendum process ebbs and flows from year to year, seeming to track the economy and whether interest groups believe Olympia is attentive to their issues.  This year is one of those high-watermark years, with a record 75 initiatives to the people  filed and six headed for a statewide vote after meeting the significant signature requirement. According to a new tally from the state Elections Division Thursday, 2,230,902 signatures were submitted this year in support…

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WA income tax plan headed for ballot

WA income tax plan headed for ballot

Initiative 1098, a plan by Bill Gates Sr. and others to authorize an income tax on the wealthy and reduce some other taxes, is headed to the statewide ballot in Washington. Although state officials are investigating apparent fraud by one of the campaign’s signature gatherers, the  state Elections Division announced late Thursday that a 3 percent random check of the huge number of unchallenged signatures showed easily enough valid signatures to assure a spot on the ballot. The campaign had…

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Income tax on the wealthy?

Income tax on the wealthy?

As Washington’s initiative turn-in deadline looms Friday afternoon, Bill Gates Sr. and dozens of other income-tax advocates have turned in what they estimate at 360,000-370,000 Initiative 1098  signatures, and say they’ll add more late-arriving petitions before the doors close on Friday. The measure would impose an income tax on high wage-earners, while reducing the state share of the property tax and eliminating the business tax on many small businesses.  State voters have rejected income tax measures in recent decades, but…

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Income tax on high-wage earners?

Income tax on high-wage earners?

In the seven decades since Washington’s first (and only) voter-approved state income tax was thrown out by the state Supreme Court, voters have been asked regularly to revisit the issue.  It could be on the 2010 statewide ballot, if Bill Gates Sr. and other sponsors of Initiative 1077 collect enough signatures in the next two months. It’s the latest controversial issue to surface as possible fodder for the November 2 ballot. The potential plans are tax cuts, Tim Eyman’s anti-tax…

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