The Washington Policy Center began the legislative session in January with a campaign to educate citizens on a proposal to implement an income tax on capital gains. Proponent lawmakers have been calling it an “excise tax.” In radio and digital ads, WPC has been quoting the IRS which confirmed that such taxes are income taxes.

Additionally, through public records requests, WPC’s Jason Mercier has been obtaining documents detailing lawmakers’ strategies for seeking to impose income taxes via the courts and sharing those with media and concerned citizens. Prospects for halting the income tax in the Legislature are unexpectedly promising, but efforts in the courts remain.