Washington House of Rep. Member Proposes Tax on Dating Apps

Washington State have introduced a bill that would impose a monthly tax on owners of online dating platforms, with the goal of generating funding for domestic violence services and intervention programs.

House Bill 2071, introduced this week by Rep. Lauren Davis (D-Shoreline), proposes a $1 monthly excise tax for each Washington resident using an online dating application, whether on a free or paid plan. The bill targets platform owners and would require them to track and report their monthly user counts in the state to the Department of Revenue – including recording monthly user data and submitting regular filings.

While an official fiscal estimate is pending, Davis approximates the measure could raise about $6 million annually, based on an estimated 500,000 dating app users in Washington. The funds would be directed to a newly created domestic violence services account within the state treasury. Davis acknowledged potential concerns from the tech companies but said she believes they likely already have the necessary data infrastructure to comply.

Davis emphasized the need for sustainable support for victims of domestic violence and treatment programs for offenders. “The purpose of this tax proposal is to keep the state’s promise to crime victims and not defund victims’ services,” she said, adding that many domestic violence perpetrators go untreated due to a lack of insurance coverage and resources.

The bill has been criticised for implying a direct link between dating apps to domestic violence, and that it could be seen as a tax on finding love. More importantly, the bill would require a 1$ tax on each user (except those who have been inactive for two years or more), meaning that tax may be paid on users who are no longer even actively using the site (and therefore cannot be monetized, even through ad impressions). So far, no large dating platforms have commented on the proposal.