Washington voters will decide in November whether to keep a new tax on household income above $1 million or repeal it under Initiative 645, a measure that would also explicitly prohibit income taxes in the state. Gov. Bob Ferguson signed the 9.9% tax into law in March. It applies only to income exceeding $1 million: for example, a household earning $1.2 million in a year would be taxed on $200,000. The law is scheduled to take effect in 2028, with the first payments due in April 2029. State officials expect it to generate more than $3 billion annually. A yes vote on I-645 would repeal the tax; a no vote would leave it in place. Let’s Go Washington, the political organization behind the initiative, gathered more than 500,000 signatures to qualify it for the November ballot. Supporters argue the tax could pave the way for taxes on lower incomes, although Ferguson has said he would block such an effort. Opponents say repeal would put funding for education and health care at risk. They also argue that tax cuts enacted this year for working families and small businesses would be difficult to sustain without the revenue. Washington has gone more than a century without adopting an income tax, and previous efforts to do so have failed. The new tax is also facing a legal challenge: a lawsuit arguing that it violates the state constitution remains pending. If voters reject I-645, that case will continue.