Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget Taxes topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Washington Senate Republicans denounce Democrats' tax plans, vow to defend public safety funding
Summary
Senate and House Republican leaders criticized Democratic budget and tax proposals—calling them the largest in state history—and said they will press for public-safety funding, oppose property-tax increases they deem regressive, and seek alternative, phased transportation funding.
Senate Republican leader John Braun and House Republican deputy leader Chris Corey used a week-12 media availability to sharply criticize Democratic budget and tax proposals, calling the package an "enormous" set of increases and pledging to fight for public-safety funding and affordability.
"This is the critical part time of the session," Braun said, arguing the Senate Democratic budget did not add money for local law enforcement and that proposed taxes "would be the largest tax increase ever proposed in our state." Corey said the House operating budget assumes "the largest taxes in Washington state's history" and listed proposed new or increased levies and fees, including beverage-container levies, Discover Pass and licensing fee increases, short-term rental taxes and additional levies on car rentals, cellphone service and other items.
Republicans repeatedly criticized what they called reliance on new taxes rather than tapping savings. Braun cited a headline figure for the Democratic package of $21,000,000,000 (and said that with a proposed sales-tax reduction it would be about $18,500,000,000). Both leaders described property-tax provisions in the budget as regressive and said they risked squeezing local levies and bonds.
Corey also singled out a proposed payroll/wealth tax on large employers as particularly harmful, arguing such levies can drive companies and jobs away, and referenced Seattle's experience as a cautionary example. Braun said some K–12 investments that passed the Senate are worthwhile—citing material-supplies and a special-education bill he helped sponsor—but questioned whether the state can afford the timing of some proposals.
Republicans said they will continue pressuring the governor and legislative Democrats as budgets move through negotiations and warned they will press for public-safety funding and alternative, incremental approaches to transportation financing rather than tying large tax shifts to an operating package. The leaders pointed reporters to upcoming budget negotiations and the policy cutoff as the next steps in the process.
