Opinion: Washington state is overtaxing you

Rep. John Ley argues property taxes have grown far beyond the promised 1% cap, forcing seniors on fixed incomes to struggle.

🎧 Rep. John Ley: Washington’s Property Tax Problem

Rep. John Ley says ‘property tax increases are one more reason living in our state is becoming unaffordable for far too many families’

Rep. John Ley
18th Legislative District

As April comes to a close, homeowners are feeling the financial hit of scraping together enough money to pay property taxes. Despite a reported “1% cap” on property tax growth, their experience is otherwise. Property tax increases are one more reason living in our state is becoming unaffordable for far too many families.

Earlier this year, a constituent emailed me information on his property tax bills going back to 2014. He shared what he had paid for his small 2-bedroom, 1-bath, 860-square-foot home with a detached garage. It was built in the 1940’s.

The shocking conclusion: he paid $12,645 in property taxes beyond inflation over the past 12 years.

Like many seniors, he’s living on a fixed income. His home is paid for, yet he’s pinching pennies to keep the tax man off his back. The growth of government spending has far outpaced his income growth in retirement.

In 2014, his property taxes were $1,345. In 2026, the bill from the Clark County Treasurer is $3,480. He figures he should only be paying roughly $1,855 if property taxes kept up with inflation.

Many other constituents share similar complaints. “Everything is too expensive,” a member of SEIU told me during an office visit earlier this year. Gas, utilities, groceries, and insurance have all gone up, well beyond what families can afford. Taxes add to this financial burden.

Overall, our state spending has doubled in the past decade. The Climate Commitment Act has added an average of roughly 60 cents to the cost of a gallon of fuel and local utility bills are going up at double-digit rates.

Last year, I cosponsored House Bills 1729, 2743 and 2746 to reduce the property tax burden on you. In part, HB 1729 found: “an estimated property tax revenue collection in tax years 2018 through 2025 that is four billion dollars more than was intended to be collected with the McCleary fix. This has resulted in an unnecessary property tax burden on Washington residents. The Legislature intends to reduce this burden and provide critical tax relief by reducing state property tax levies.”

The majority party refused to hold a hearing on these bills. They instead proposed lifting the 1 percent cap to 3 percent. Fortunately, House Republicans were able to stop this from becoming law. Yet other tax increases were passed by the Democrat majority, including a new income tax that imposes a 9.9% income tax on residents earning more than $1 million. However, it appears to be just the tip of the iceberg.

According to a new report in The Center Square, the paper “obtained 988 pages of records that included communication between the Washington State Attorney General’s Office leadership and staff, and state legislators, regarding efforts to overturn the 1933 state Supreme Court decision declaring individuals’ income to be their property. If the 1933 ruling is overturned, a simple majority vote in the Washington state Legislature would allow lawmakers to enact a progressive income tax imposed on every Washington earner.”

It’s clear that Democrats in Washington want to keep taking more of your hard-earned money.

If we truly want “affordable housing,” then property taxes must be affordable as well. State government needs to tighten its belt and give the people of Washington a break. We can and must do better.

Rep. John Ley represents Washington’s 18th Legislative District.