Washington Governor Bob Ferguson just handed Democrats a blueprint for economic suicide.
The left-wing governor is pushing a 9.9% tax on anyone making over $1 million per year.
And Ron DeSantis destroyed a Seattle columnist's millionaire tax myth with one fact.
Seattle Times columnist claims rich won't flee Washington's new tax
Washington state Democrats are drooling over their latest scheme to soak the wealthy with a massive new tax grab.
Ferguson endorsed a 9.9% annual tax on residents earning more than $1 million.
The proposal would impact less than 0.5% of Washington residents but Democrats claim it'll generate $3 billion per year for their spending sprees.
Seattle Times columnist Danny Westneat rushed to defend the tax by dismissing warnings about wealth flight as overblown rhetoric.
According to reports, Westneat argued that wealthy residents won't leave despite the tax because "they're also people" with "friends, community connections, kids in schools" who "like looking at Mount Rainier, too."
His argument sounds touching until you look at what actually happened when Washington started taxing the wealthy.
DeSantis points to the elephant Democrats won't acknowledge
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis wasn't about to let this fantasy go unchallenged.
He fired back on X with a series of posts exposing the fatal flaw in Ferguson and Westneat's thinking.
"The inevitable result is that some taxpayers will flee, the appetite for spending will continue, and the income tax will expand to hit people with sub-seven figure incomes," DeSantis warned. "This will further erode the economic base — and the cycle will keep repeating."
DeSantis then dropped the fact that demolished the entire premise of Westneat's column.
"The state of Washington lost its biggest taxpayer — Jeff Bezos — to Florida," DeSantis wrote. "That's not 'just talk.' That relocation alone has had a major impact on the WA state budget."
https://twitter.com/RonDeSantis/status/2005294353565274567?s=20
Bezos moved to Florida in late 2023, right after Washington imposed a 7% capital gains tax in 2022.
The Amazon founder stopped selling stock completely in 2022 and 2023 to avoid the new tax.
Once he relocated to Florida, Bezos sold $8.7 billion in Amazon shares and saved at least $610 million in Washington state taxes from that sale alone.¹
If Washington had the proposed 9.9% millionaire tax in place, Bezos would have owed approximately $1.44 billion annually based on his net worth — accounting for 45% of the tax's projected total revenue.²
The numbers expose Democrat delusions about tax policy
Washington Democrats keep pretending wealthy residents will stick around because they love the view of Mount Rainier.
The data tells a completely different story.
Washington's capital gains tax collected $890 million in its first year of 2023.³
Bezos's single stock sale after relocating saved him at least $610 million in Washington state taxes — demonstrating how one wealthy resident's departure can devastate state revenue projections.⁴
DeSantis emphasized that Florida has become a magnet for people fleeing the Pacific Northwest's oppressive tax burden.
"Prior to 2020, migration to FL from Pacific NW was infinitesimal; since 2020, it has been noticeable," DeSantis wrote.
Ferguson tried to address concerns about expanding the tax by promising to codify the $1 million threshold with inflation adjustments.
https://twitter.com/RonDeSantis/status/2004709196919648311?s=20
But that promise rings hollow when Democrats just signed the largest tax increase in Washington state history — all while claiming they needed the money to close budget gaps caused by their own overspending.⁵
The pattern is crystal clear: impose new tax, drive away wealth creators, face budget shortfall, expand tax to hit more people, repeat.
DeSantis has seen this movie before watching California, New York, and other blue states hemorrhage their tax base.
Washington state operated for decades without an income tax because voters repeatedly rejected it.
In 2010, a proposal for income tax on earnings over $200,000 went down in flames with 64% voting against it.⁶
Even as recently as 2024, more than 440,000 Washington residents signed an initiative prohibiting state and local governments from adopting an income tax.⁷
Ferguson is gambling that he can overcome decades of voter opposition by promising the tax will only hit the ultra-wealthy.
History shows that's exactly how income taxes start before they expand to soak the middle class.
Massachusetts provides a perfect example of what happens when states impose millionaire taxes.
The state's 4% surtax on incomes over $1 million brought in $5.7 billion in fiscal 2025 — far exceeding revenue projections in its third year.⁸
Now Democrats in Massachusetts are already talking about how to spend that windfall on new programs that will require permanent funding.
Once the government grows addicted to taxing the wealthy, the definition of "wealthy" keeps dropping until everyone pays.
DeSantis understands this cycle because he's watched it destroy state after state.
Florida has no state income tax, no capital gains tax, and has become an economic powerhouse by letting people keep more of what they earn.
Ferguson and his Democrat allies in Olympia can keep pretending rich people won't leave over taxes.
Jeff Bezos already proved them dead wrong by taking $610 million in annual tax revenue with him to Florida.
The only question is how many more billionaires and millionaires will follow his lead before Washington Democrats finally learn their lesson.
¹ CBIZ, "Jeff Bezos' Move to Florida Highlights Tax Consequences for Washington State," February 12, 2025.
² Tax Foundation, "Jeff Bezos's Move Undercuts Proposed Washington State Wealth Tax," June 26, 2024.
³ Washington State Standard, "Fact Check Team: Jeff Bezos's Florida move could save him $600M in taxes," February 16, 2024.
⁴ Washington Policy Center, "Will the Capital Gains Tax increase to 9.9% cause business to leave the state?" July 1, 2025.
⁵ Washington State Standard, "Ferguson backs income tax on WA residents earning over $1M," December 23, 2025.
⁶ KUOW, "Gov. Ferguson says he wants to see a 'millionaires' tax' in Washington state," December 23, 2025.
⁷ The Spokesman-Review, "Ferguson expresses support for income tax on millionaires in Washington," December 23, 2025.
⁸ Fortune, "Millionaire tax plans spread as Washington state eyes new levy," December 24, 2025.
