To the editor:

Washington state is a beautiful land, and we are lucky to reside near majestic mountains and spacious blue skies.

Our state is a leader on the national stage, and we are home for Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and Boeing. We are a progressive state leading on the environment, and we have a governor who refused to sacrifice our values when the first unconstitutional executive order was announced.

However, in some ways, our state is not leading according to our values. Our state has the most upside down and regressive tax code in the nation, and we have struggled to adequately fund our K-12 education. This is a travesty.

Remarkably, the most wealthy 1 percent pay only 2.4 percent of their incomes taxes, while those poorest among us pay 17 percent of their incomes to taxes.

This unfairness can change and provide community support where needed. By adopting a modest 7 percent capital gains tax, we could begin to fix our state’s upside down tax code. Washington is one of only eight states currently without a tax on capital gains, which could raise $715 million to reinvest in our education systems, and fellow Washingtonians.

Now is the time to invest in our future, and House Bill 2186 reflects our progressive values, and protects our most vulnerable neighbors.

As the Washington State Legislature works though the process of agreeing on a budget, I strongly encourage our representatives to include a capital gains tax.

The time is now, and we must not wait any longer to remove the burden on our lowest income brothers and sisters.

ANN GORMAN

Bainbridge Island