Initiative I-1030
Posted by: Ralph Nichols | 05/04/2008 4:22 PM
Overburdened Washington taxpayers again are taking aim at high property taxes.
And who can blame them? Certainly not the Democrat-dominated Legislature.
The state budget has increased from $18 billion in 1987-89 to about $68 billion in the current biennium. Just this year, Gov. Chris Gregoire and her spend-and-tax legislative allies turned a $2.1 billion surplus into a $1 billion deficit.
"Gov. Gregoire spent taxpayer dollars like a drunken sailor," Luke Esser, chairman of the Washington State Republican Party, remarked at the time.
"Actually, that's an insult to drunken sailors," Esser added. "Drunken sailors at least only spend their own money."
That's one key reason why the League of Washington Taxpayers launched on April 30 a campaign to place Initiative 1030, which will enact significant property
tax relief, on the November ballot.
The other is that, despite sincere-sounding promises to ease their burden, lawmakers turned their backs on property taxpayers again this year.
Before the measure can be placed before voters, however, at least 260,000 valid signatures must be collected and submitted to the Secretary of State in the next two months.
I-1030 proposes major reform by reducing both property taxes and assessed property valuation by 30 percent.
"We are taking [property tax relief] into our hands because the political establishment in this state will never do it," declared Floyd Brown, a primary backer of the initiative.
"It is an attempt to control an out-of-control Legislature," said Wynn Cannon of the taxpayers group.
They kicked off the campaign for I-1030 on Kirby Wilbur & Company on KVI Radio. Not at all surprising is the fact that Seattle-Tacoma's three daily
newspapers made no mention of the initiative in their May 1 editions.
As state lawmakers left Olympia after their one-day special session in November, when they reinstated I-747, which limits increases in property taxes to 1 percent a year, several of them vowed to support meaningful property tax relief in 2008.
The state Supreme Court recently had invalidated I-747 - the second-such initative that it had struck down in less than a decade.
Their lack of action during the regular session was not entirely bad, however, since "progressive" tax reform - translation: a state income tax - was on the agenda of some Democrats.
Washington's property tax payers not only are overburdened, they are increasingly frustrated by Olympia's failure to act on their pleas for relief.
The League of Washington Taxpayers says high property tax rates is the number one issue among these voters, together with inefficient and wasteful state spending.
Little reason, then, why taxpayers in Washington never fail to lower property and other taxes and fees when given the opportunity:
1993 - I-601 limited state spending and required a two-thirds vote in the Legislature to raise taxes. It largely has been by-passed by lawmakers in recent
years.
1999 - I-695 reduced hefty car-tab fees to $30 a year, which were a boon to local governments but did little to improve transportation. It, too, is by-passed whenever possible.
2000 - I-722 limited both property tax increases and assessed valuation growth to 2 percent a year. The state Supreme Court later ruled it unconstitutional.
2001 - I-747 limited property tax increases to 1 percent a year unless voters locally approved a higher tax rate. The state Supreme Court later ruled in
unconstitutional, but the Legislature reinstated it last November.
2007 - I-960 required a two-thirds vote in the Legislature to raise taxes and required legislative approval of fee increases. Its constitutionality now is being challenged by the Democrat majority.
"Current property taxes ... are excessive and confiscatory," says the League of Washington Taxpayers.
"Property taxes have risen every year depending on the existing law" - something that I-1030 aims to correct to a significant degree.
Furthermore, "many people are paying more in property taxes each year than their annual mortgage."
Washington property taxpayers who are "mad as hell and aren't going to take it any more" can enlist in this fight for tax relief at www.taxfight.org. Individuals who want to volunteer to collect signatures on petitions can get information by calling 425-746-2983 in Bellevue or 253-460-9508.
And who can blame them? Certainly not the Democrat-dominated Legislature.
The state budget has increased from $18 billion in 1987-89 to about $68 billion in the current biennium. Just this year, Gov. Chris Gregoire and her spend-and-tax legislative allies turned a $2.1 billion surplus into a $1 billion deficit.
"Gov. Gregoire spent taxpayer dollars like a drunken sailor," Luke Esser, chairman of the Washington State Republican Party, remarked at the time.
"Actually, that's an insult to drunken sailors," Esser added. "Drunken sailors at least only spend their own money."
That's one key reason why the League of Washington Taxpayers launched on April 30 a campaign to place Initiative 1030, which will enact significant property
tax relief, on the November ballot.
The other is that, despite sincere-sounding promises to ease their burden, lawmakers turned their backs on property taxpayers again this year.
Before the measure can be placed before voters, however, at least 260,000 valid signatures must be collected and submitted to the Secretary of State in the next two months.
I-1030 proposes major reform by reducing both property taxes and assessed property valuation by 30 percent.
"We are taking [property tax relief] into our hands because the political establishment in this state will never do it," declared Floyd Brown, a primary backer of the initiative.
"It is an attempt to control an out-of-control Legislature," said Wynn Cannon of the taxpayers group.
They kicked off the campaign for I-1030 on Kirby Wilbur & Company on KVI Radio. Not at all surprising is the fact that Seattle-Tacoma's three daily
newspapers made no mention of the initiative in their May 1 editions.
As state lawmakers left Olympia after their one-day special session in November, when they reinstated I-747, which limits increases in property taxes to 1 percent a year, several of them vowed to support meaningful property tax relief in 2008.
The state Supreme Court recently had invalidated I-747 - the second-such initative that it had struck down in less than a decade.
Their lack of action during the regular session was not entirely bad, however, since "progressive" tax reform - translation: a state income tax - was on the agenda of some Democrats.
Washington's property tax payers not only are overburdened, they are increasingly frustrated by Olympia's failure to act on their pleas for relief.
The League of Washington Taxpayers says high property tax rates is the number one issue among these voters, together with inefficient and wasteful state spending.
Little reason, then, why taxpayers in Washington never fail to lower property and other taxes and fees when given the opportunity:
1993 - I-601 limited state spending and required a two-thirds vote in the Legislature to raise taxes. It largely has been by-passed by lawmakers in recent
years.
1999 - I-695 reduced hefty car-tab fees to $30 a year, which were a boon to local governments but did little to improve transportation. It, too, is by-passed whenever possible.
2000 - I-722 limited both property tax increases and assessed valuation growth to 2 percent a year. The state Supreme Court later ruled it unconstitutional.
2001 - I-747 limited property tax increases to 1 percent a year unless voters locally approved a higher tax rate. The state Supreme Court later ruled in
unconstitutional, but the Legislature reinstated it last November.
2007 - I-960 required a two-thirds vote in the Legislature to raise taxes and required legislative approval of fee increases. Its constitutionality now is being challenged by the Democrat majority.
"Current property taxes ... are excessive and confiscatory," says the League of Washington Taxpayers.
"Property taxes have risen every year depending on the existing law" - something that I-1030 aims to correct to a significant degree.
Furthermore, "many people are paying more in property taxes each year than their annual mortgage."
Washington property taxpayers who are "mad as hell and aren't going to take it any more" can enlist in this fight for tax relief at www.taxfight.org. Individuals who want to volunteer to collect signatures on petitions can get information by calling 425-746-2983 in Bellevue or 253-460-9508.
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