Why not just charge it on the paying end (payroll tax)? It would be the same thing but charged from employers.
E.g my Employer pays about 125 to pay me 100 because of payroll tax. Then I receive 70 because the employer also pays my tax directly. My income was only 100 and the total tax was 55.
Washington already has payroll taxes and revenue(!) taxes, which have been increasing. It was causing employers to leave. The State had to limit ambitions on several of these taxes because it was causing businesses to move to other States.
For highly paid tech employees, the total tax burden across employer and employee in Washington has become one of the highest in the US. Even if the employee doesn’t see all of that, the employer definitely does. Washington already has de facto income taxes by proxy and this is on top of that.
E.g my Employer pays about 125 to pay me 100 because of payroll tax. Then I receive 70 because the employer also pays my tax directly. My income was only 100 and the total tax was 55.