Big Tech, AI Leaders Urge Washington Governor to Pause Tax Proposals

Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson speaks at a news conference about the state’s response to President Donald Trump’s revised travel ban in Seattle on March 9, 2017. AP Photo/Elaine ThompsonNearly a dozen tech leaders and AI researchers on Monday sent a letter urging Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson to “pause” legislative efforts to create new taxes that could impede the state’s tech sector.The letter, signed by current and former top executives, software engineers, and AI experts, said efforts to create a state income tax as well as increase the state’s capital gains tax would “materially undermine” the state’s ability to grow the tech sector and could slow AI innovation and investment.