Sen. John Braun in an emailed advisory Thursday said the effects of Senate Bill 5770 would “hit everyone’’
Randy Bracht
The Center Square Washington
State Senate Republican leader John Braun is decrying a bill proposed by majority Democrats that, if enacted, could triple Washington’s 1 percent limit on annual property tax increases.
“Tripling the property tax rate cap is just plain wrong,” Braun said last week. “Can’t Washingtonians get a single year where Democrats aren’t digging deeper into their pockets?”
Braun, R-Centralia, in an emailed advisory Thursday said the effects of Senate Bill 5770 would “hit everyone. They hit seniors on fixed incomes, middle class families trying to afford higher prices on gas and groceries, and renters who will have higher rents to cover the higher taxes (that) housing providers have to pay on multi-family units.”
Braun serves on the Senate Ways and Means Committee, which has scheduled a hearing on Senate Bill 5770 at 4 p.m. Thursday. He is trying to rally opposition to the measure.
In all, 20 Democrats are sponsoring the bill, including Sen. Jamie Pedersen of Seattle, majority floor leader, and committee chairwoman Sen. June Robinson of Everett.
Language in the bill says the Legislature “finds that the arbitrary 1% limitation on the growth of property tax collections has severely inhibited the ability of the state, counties, cities, and other special districts to provide critical community services in the face of significant population growth and inflation.”
Property taxes are the primary revenue source for counties in funding public safety and criminal justice costs while the state’s share goes entirely toward public schools. Raising the annual limit will help the state “make ample provision for the education of students with disabilities” in coming years, the measure says.
Braun, in turn, says Democrats’ concern for public safety “seems hollow given how their policies have gutted police departments, vilified law enforcement … and created a revolving door in our criminal justice system.” He also said funding services for children with disabilities “should never depend on a new tax.”
Washington state’s 1% annual property tax increase limit was approved by voters in 2001 with passage of Initiative 747. The state Supreme Court struck down the initiative in 2007, but it was subsequently reinstated by the Legislature.
“The … limit obviously restricts revenue growth, especially for jurisdictions that are heavily dependent on property taxes and whose costs are increasing more than 1% per year due to inflation, salary and benefit costs, and other factors,” the nonprofit Municipal Research and Services Center notes in a summary on its website.
As proposed, the bill would allow a property tax increase up to 3% annually, based on inflation in the consumer price index as determined by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and from population changes in the two most recent years as estimated by the state Office of Financial Management.
Braun says that could increase state and local property taxes by $4.1 billion over the next six years, and $12 billion over the next 12 years.
“State government already gets enough of your money,” said Braun. “Stop raising taxes. Stop making housing even less affordable. Fund priorities from existing revenue. Provide meaningful tax relief instead.”
This report was first published by The Center Square Washington.
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We’ll see how this pans out. If it does get passed and goes into effect… AND if the current voter initiatives have a measure of success… then another voter initiative is maybe the best option to keep the 1% cap.
We all… especially seniors… are truly being priced out of their homes. My property taxes have skyrocketed (due to increased home value) under the 1% rule. To deal with 3% yearly increase… ouch!
With the Wash. legislature being the solid blue that it is, there is no hope whatsoever that the “reds” will prevail in anything they offer by way of compromise. That leaves the voter initiative route as an option to take. It seems to be the only way that non-dark-blue voters are heard here in in Washington.
Apparently, you don’t qualify for the property tax relief?
OMG! These people are nothing but EVIL – This insanity HAS TOO STOP!
Democrats have proven in the last few years that a primary focus they have is to raise taxes and fees, no matter what the economy is like, or how large the surplus is in the state coffers. The tax and fee hikes that the democrat majority in both the House and the Senate have passed, and are now proposing are unnecessary, and a heavy burden on residents and businesses. Both property owners and renters of apartments, homes, and businesses have and will continue to face higher rents and mortgage payments, and higher taxes until residents vote for conservative legislators. We need to elect legislators who will consider the burden and impact of higher taxes and cut government wasteful spending instead of raising spending, and then raising taxes to pay for unnecessary spending. Legislators now freely using the WA State credit card to borrow for projects we don’t need and have voted against, like gold plated light rail. On the bright side, approx 94% of those who offered input to the senate committee who heard this bill opposed tripling the property tax lid. A strong majority of WA state citizens voted in the 1% property tax cap via Initiative 747 in 2001.
We need more law enforcement to combat the growing crime rate!! We need our roads fixed!!! We need this and we need that!!! But, we don’t want our taxes raised.
Nearly every day in the Vancouver area newspaper(s), there is information about the State’s current budget surplus, how many millions the new income tax has brought in (but they don’t call it an income tax), and how approx. $900,000,000.00 (that’s 900 million) has been brought into the budget thru the recent gas tax that they call “cap ‘n trade” or some such nonsense. And you’re saying that with all this extra income, the State “deserves” even more of our tax dollars? Where have you been, and what planet are you living on? Or have I misunderstood your comment?
Government! Everytime a bill is due take out another visa card! My recommendation is a 10% reduction in spending for Olympia! Same to Federal……