CORRECTION: The 36,500 dollar benefit is for life not annually.
Those opposed to the new mandatory payroll tax in Washington are making a final push to try to fix the law through the initiative process.
The Washington Cares Act takes effect on Saturday. The 0.58% payroll tax on people working in Washington will fund the program. Starting in 2025 eligible beneficiaries could start claiming up to 36,500 dollars to help pay for long-term care.
The controversial tax has garnered strong opposition and legal challenges. One issue is that people who work in Washington but live outside the state will pay the tax but never be able to benefit from the program. The Palouse’s largest private employer, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, has joined the fight against the mandatory tax. SEL based in Pullman has over a thousand workers in Washington who live in Idaho that will never benefit from paying the tax. SEL is promoting Initiative 1436 which would make the Washington Cares Act payroll tax optional.
Washington Governor Jay Inslee has ordered the state Employment Security Department to delay collecting the tax. The delay is intended to allow the Washington legislature time to fix the law. SEL Regional Government Affairs Manager Bryan Ricker says there is no guarantee that state lawmakers will fix the payroll tax.
The I-1436 campaign is collecting signatures statewide to validate the petition to send it to the legislature. Ricker says they need more signatures to ensure validation. SEL will be accepting signatures from Washington voters for I-1436 today and tomorrow. The petition can be signed at the SEL Event Center in Pullman until 3:00 today and from 8:00 to 3:00 on Wednesday.
The petition can also be signed online here https://www.yeson1436.com/
The initiative is due to the Washington Secretary of State’s Office on Friday.
