Advisory Vote No. 13
Election Results
| Option | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Repealed | 564,221 | 65.43% |
| Maintained | 298,074 | 34.57% |
* Race percentages are calculated with data from the Secretary of State's Office, which omits write-in votes from its calculations when there are too few to affect the outcome. The Spokane County Auditor's Office may have slightly different percentages than are reflected here because its figures include any write-in votes.
About the Measure
This year, the Legislature eliminated a preferential rate for the B&O tax for royalty income from software manufacturing and an exemption for paying sales tax on new machinery and equipment for Microsoft. That would raise an estimated $1.4 billion over 10 years. It passed the Senate 35-10 and the House 60-38.
The decision triggers a provision in state law that requires voters be asked whether they think those taxes should be repealed or kept. The ballot measures are required by Initiative 960, which passed in 2007. In the past nine such advisory measures, voters have backed some and opposed others. The results are non-binding, and the Legislature has yet to change – or even reconsider – a tax based on the results of an advisory measure.
Because the results have no consequences, there are no active campaigns either for or against any of the measures.