Repeal punitive payroll tax

All the increased costs Washingtonians experienced during the past year were accompanied by a $1.3-billion hit on workers’ paychecks. The widespread pay decrease in Washington state was compliments of a new payroll tax that began in 2023 to fund a program called WA Cares.

In a recent meeting, the Employment Security Department told the Long-Term Security and Supports Trust Commission not to get used to higher-than-expected income, in case wage and employment information changes. But ESD’s Ibrahim Dembele seemed a bit giddy that WA Cares had more to work with than actuarialists thought it would...