Washington's constitution has broadest definition of property in the country

I recently had the opportunity to review all 50 state constitutions and confirmed an important fact for the current capital gains income tax litigation. Although most state constitutions mention how real, personal, tangible or intangible property should be taxed, the vast majority don’t define those terms. Of those that define property, Washington’s constitution has the broadest definition. This is why our state Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled that in order to impose a graduated income tax, the constitution must be amended (something the voters have overwhelmingly rejected six times).

Our b...