The Spokesman-Review newspaper has a report on Proposition 2 that would ban income taxes in Spokane as part of reforming the city’s charter.

City Council candidate Michael Cathcart told the newspaper that the measure is an important business recruitment tool. A proposed Seattle income tax for wealthy residents is currently under judicial review.

A “Yes” vote would ban Spokane officials from imposing a city income tax, regardless of any possible future changes in state law. A “No” vote would give the Spokane City Council the green light to impose a local income tax.

Though income taxes currently are banned statewide, Cathcart explained that a Spokane ban could give his city a competitive edge if Seattle winds up setting a precedent for charging income taxes. Washington currently is one of seven states that does not impose an income tax while voters have repeatedly rejected earlier attempts to do so.

Read more here and here.

Sources include the Washington Policy Center