Seattle's economy is complicated. Inflation, tariffs, AI, layoffs. It's a lot to keep track of.

That's where we come in. I'm Joshua McNichols. And I'm Monica Nicholsberg.

We host Booming, a podcast about the economic forces shaping our lives here in the Pacific Northwest.

Every week, we dig into the big questions about our economy and where you fit in.

Find booming on the KOWW app or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Good afternoon. It's a day where gas costs a lot in Washington State, and some people who earn a lot are suing about taxes.

From the KUOW Newsroom, this is Seattle Now. I'm Paige Browning with a roundup of today's top stories.

It's Thursday, April 9th.

They promised a lawsuit, and it's here today. A new lawsuit's been filed challenging Washington's

new income tax on high earners, aka the millionaire's tax. State government reporter Sarah Mises Tan has more.

The lawsuit says the income tax is unconstitutional based off a nearly 100-year-old ruling that

designates all income as property.

The Citizens Action Defense Fund, a conservative watchdog group, is leading the lawsuit.

They say because the law doesn't tax all incomes uniformly, it goes against the state constitution.

Former Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna is the group's attorney.

Washington State can have an income tax if it follows the rules for property taxes.

It has to be uniform and no higher than 1%.

The lawsuit was filed with the Clickitat County Superior Court on Thursday.

The lead plaintiffs are a builder and the owner of a marketing business who would be

subject to the tax. The Superior Court is expected to uphold the unconstitutionality of the tax,

but all eyes will be on the case as it moves to the state Supreme Court, which would issue the

ultimate ruling. In Olympia, I'm Saramizes Tan. And here's an interesting tidbit coming out today.

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