The League of Women Voters of Washington is asking voters to vote NO on three Initiatives that will be on the ballot in November. These Initiatives include:

• I-2109—Repeal the capital gains excise tax;
• I-2117—Prohibit carbon tax credit trading and repeal provisions of the 2021 Washington Climate Commitment Act; and
• I-2124—Allow all employees and self-employed individuals to opt out of paying for and receiving benefits from the WA Cares Long-Term Care program.

By voting NO on these three Initiatives, you are voting to retain the programs these initiatives would affect.

Further information about these programs can be found below:

The Capital Gains Tax
This measure applies only to long-term capital assets with capital gains over $250,000. There are very few people in Washington State to whom this applies. The tax generates millions of dollars for education. The first $500 million supports the State's public education system; the remaining balance helps to fund school construction and maintenance. WA State is obligated, by the State's Constitution, to provide ample funding for education—this capital gains tax, collected from a very small number of people, helps to ensure the state can meet this obligation.

The League's position on this capital gains tax stems from its support for public education and for creating a more equitable tax structure. For more information, or to identify a speaker on this topic, contact Cynthia Stewart, LWVWA Revenue Issue Chair.

The Climate Commitment Act (CCA)
The CCA is a very complex law that helps Washington State respond to the climate crisis. It enables WA to generate funding for increasing energy efficiency, reducing pollution, restoring the environment, creating programs that provide environmental justice in marginalized communities, and repairing certain transportation infrastructures. It generates this funding through a system of auctioning allowances for carbon emissions while reducing the level of allowable emissions over time.

The League's position on this comes from extensive climate-related policies, including consistency with the best available climate science, reducing emissions, addressing the long-term impacts of climate change on public health, accelerating the shift to cleaner, more energy-efficient sources, and more. For more information or to identify a speaker on this topic, contact Martin Gibbons, LWVWA Climate Crisis Issue Chair.

The WA Cares Act
This program allows employees to receive long-term care services through deposits of employee payroll taxes over a period of time, which are then invested for future use. The program was initiated because so many people cannot afford private long-term care services, even though over 70% of the population eventually needs them. If many people drop out of this program, it could not accrue enough future funds through investment gains to provide the long-term care services when they are needed. This would cost taxpayers more in the future through increased personal and Medicaid expenses.

The League's support for this program comes from its position that total health care system expenditures should be controlled, and universal access to affordable health services—with seamless coverage regardless of one's health status—should be provided. For more information or to identify a speaker on this topic, contact Cynthia Stewart, LWVWA Revenue Chair or Karen Tvedt, LWVWA Elder Care Study Leader.