Washington Capital Gains Tax Won’t Get US Supreme Court Look (1)

The US Supreme Court declined to review a Washington high court ruling upholding the state’s new levy on capital gains as a permissible excise tax on Tuesday.

The justices’ decision not to hear Quinn v. Washington shifts attention to the November election, when a measure to repeal the tax is expected to go before voters, along with a companion measure to prohibit state or local governments from imposing income taxes.

Voter approval of the two measures would be necessary to prevent passage of similar taxes, especially a progressive income tax prohibited by the state constitution, said Brian Heywood, founder of ...