Olympia tax proposal’s college tuition fund echoes Kalamazoo Promise

A controversial proposal to establish an income tax in Olympia will go before a judge Wednesday to determine whether the initiative is legally valid for the November election — or any election, for that matter.

A Thurston County Superior Court hearing has been scheduled with representatives from the city and Opportunity for Olympia, a group that collected thousands of signatures from local residents who support the ballot initiative, which is unprecedented in Washington.

The proposal calls for a 1.5 percent tax on Olympia households with income that exceeds $200,000 to raise about $3 million a year for a public college tuition fund. If it passes and is considered valid, voters would create the first local income tax in a state that has long prohibited an income tax.