William for LD 2

A Fair Tax System for Working Families

I know what it means to watch every dollar. As a Transit Operator and Union Shop Steward, I’ve seen firsthand how rising costs squeeze families who are already working hard just to get by. And I’ve seen how Washington’s tax system makes it worse.

Washington has the second most regressive tax system in the country. That means a working family in LD 2 pays a larger share of their income in taxes than a millionaire does. Not because of what they earned, but because of how our state collects revenue. Heavy reliance on sales taxes hits working families hard, while the wealthy have long paid far less than their fair share.

That’s not right. And I’ll fight in Olympia to change it.

    What I’ll Fight For

    Make the Wealthy Pay Their Fair Share
    This session, Washington passed a millionaires’ tax, a 9.9% tax on income above $1 million, and I fully support it. For too long, working families have been carrying a disproportionate share of the tax burden while the wealthiest among us benefited from a system that barely touched them. That changes now. I’ll fight to make sure this progress holds and that the revenue it generates goes where it’s needed most: schools, healthcare, and infrastructure in communities like ours.

    Expand the Working Families Tax Credit
    Washington’s Working Families Tax Credit already puts money back in the pockets of low- and moderate-income families, and this year’s expansion will reach 460,000 new families statewide. That’s real relief for real people. I’ll fight to protect and grow this credit, because a working family in Yelm or Lacey shouldn’t be sending more of their paycheck to Olympia than they get back in services.

    Relief for Small Businesses
    Small and local businesses are the backbone of rural LD 2’s economy. The Business & Occupation tax doesn’t care whether your business made a profit, it taxes gross revenue, which means small businesses pay even when margins are tight. I’ll fight to eliminate or reduce the B&O burden on small businesses so they can keep their doors open, hire locally, and grow.

    Protect Seniors and Veterans on Fixed Incomes
    Rising property values are pricing long-time residents out of homes they’ve owned for decades. For seniors and veterans on fixed incomes, property tax relief isn’t a nice-to-have, it’s the difference between staying in their home or being forced out. I’ll advocate for expanded property tax exemptions and relief programs so that the people who built this community can afford to stay in it.

    Stop Shifting the Burden Onto the People Who Can Least Afford It
    Any conversation about tax reform has to start with an honest question: who pays? I’ll oppose tax policies that shift more burden onto working families and small businesses, and I’ll support a tax structure that asks more of those who have more. That’s not radical, it’s fair.

    This Is Personal

    I’ve worked for wages my whole life. I know what it looks like when the system is stacked against working people, not in theory, but in the numbers on a pay stub and the choices families have to make at the end of the month.

    LD 2 deserves a representative who understands that tax policy isn’t abstract. It’s the difference between a family that’s getting ahead and one that’s just trying to hold on. I’ll go to Olympia and fight for a tax system that actually works for the people I represent.

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