Fearing wealth flight, WA lawmakers propose estate tax rollback; critics resist

(The Center Square) – Democratic lawmakers in Washington state are moving closer to repealing a 2025 law that raised the state’s top estate tax rate to 35%, the highest in the nation.

Senate Bill 6347, introduced in early February, has already cleared the full Senate. On Thursday, the legislation received its first hearing in the House Finance Committee.

“This is a very straightforward adjustment to our estate tax,” said bill sponsor Sen. Claudia Kauffman, D-Kent. “Last year, the rate within our schedule was increased and this bill simply restores it back to those rates that were there. The estate tax, of course, will continue to support education through the education legacy trust [fund].

Committee member Rep. Cyndy Jacobsen, R-Puyallup, then pressed Kauffman to explain why she was offering the bill now when the state is facing another budget deficit.

“Yes, we do have such a budget crisis,” Kau...