Jason Mercier of the Washington Policy Center challenges the governor to follow his massive compensation increase for state government employees with tax relief for all Washingtonians
Jason Mercier
Washington Policy Center
The September revenue forecast continues to show $1.5 billion above expectations for 2021-23 since the February forecast. In other fiscal news, we learned today that the governor has agreed to a massive compensation increase for state government employees. With other states across the country continuing to provide tax relief to help with inflation costs, it is past time for state officials to prioritize broad-based tax relief for Washingtonians.
Earlier this week Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig talked about the prospects for broad-based tax relief with TVW (26:06 mark) and said it was on the table. Also, at AWB’s recent policy summit, Rep. Ed Orcutt said that he would push for property and sales tax relief in the 2023 legislative session.
With state government employee unions announcing today that their secret pay talks with the governor have resulted in the “largest compensation package” in history, I’m going to assume that based on the revenue forecast showing a $1.5 billion increase since February, the governor will also soon be announcing his support for tax relief for Washingtonians.
The 2021-23 revenue forecasts for Washington since last November were:
- Nov: $60.2 billion
- Feb: $61.7 billion
- June: $63.2 billion
- Sept: $63.2 billion
Broad-based tax relief provided: None.
Surely the governor wouldn’t have agreed to a huge pay increase for government employee union members unless he also planned to finally support broad-based tax relief as well.
As for the state government employee pay raises, OFM estimates the taxpayer cost information for those tentative agreements will be posted on its website on October 3.
Additional Information
The case for a Washington sales tax cut (video)
Jason Mercier is the director of the Center for Government Reform at the Washington Policy Center.
Also read:
- Opinion: Is government greed fueling the drive to defeat citizen-led ballot initiatives?
Paul Guppy of the Washington Policy Center discusses how government greed may be fueling opposition to citizen-led ballot initiatives aimed at reducing new taxes in Washington state. - Opinion: WA Cares commission weighs in on how future recipients will be allowed to spend moneyElizabeth New (Hovde) from the Washington Policy Center discusses the ongoing challenges with WA Cares, highlighting solvency concerns and the impact of Initiative 2124 on the program’s future.
- POLL: If Tri-Mountain Golf Course were sold, how would you feel about it being developed into something else?Poll: How do you feel about the potential sale and development of Tri-Mountain Golf Course? Share your thoughts on this community issue!
- Opinion: Fact check – Will repealing Washington’s CO2 tax harm ‘roads and bridges?’Todd Myers of the Washington Policy Center says legislators and activists understand that residents want to improve the safety and efficiency of our transportation system Todd MyersWashington Policy Center One of the primary arguments made by supporters of Washington’s tax on CO2 emissions, called the Climate Commitment Act (CCA), is that if the state loses …
- Opinion: Turn signals in parking lotsDoug Dahl of Target Zero answers whether turn signals are required in parking lots, explaining their importance for safety and courtesy.
