Good news: I-1366’s passage stopped all tax hikes this year Bad news …
I’m a glass-is-half-full-kind-of-
Despite this clear don’t-raise-our-taxes message, Democrats pushed for $1.3 billion in tax hikes this year:
| Fiscal Year |
B&O Tax | Real Estate Excise Tax | Retail Sales Tax | Total | |
| 2016 | |||||
| 2017 | $ 40,139,000 | $ 34,383,000 | $ 49,282,000 | $ 123,804,000 | |
| 2018 | 46,130,000 | 35,612,000 | 55,715,000 | $ 137,457,000 | |
| 2019 | 49,035,000 | 36,596,000 | 57,499,000 | $ 143,130,000 | |
| 2020 | 52,729,000 | 36,964,000 | 59,480,000 | $ 149,173,000 | |
| 2021 | 56,659,000 | 37,337,000 | 61,456,000 | $ 155,452,000 | |
| 2022 | 59,321,000 | 37,713,000 | 63,462,000 | $ 160,496,000 | |
| 2023 | 62,091,000 | 38,093,000 | 65,526,000 | $ 165,710,000 | |
| 2024 | 65,018,000 | 38,477,000 | 67,622,000 | $ 171,117,000 | |
| 2025 | 68,056,000 | 38,865,000 | 69,763,000 | $ 176,684,000 | |
| Total: | $ 499,178,000 | $ 334,040,000 | $ 549,805,000 | $ 1,383,023,000 | |
None of these passed. This year’s legislature didn’t raise any taxes. That’s an extraordinary achievement. Olympia has an insatiable tax appetite but the passage of I-1366 threw cold water on their tax hiking schemes.
That’s the good news.
The bad news: the Democrats’ $1.3 billion in tax hikes this year are just a drop in the bucket compared to what’s being tee’d up next year. It’s been widely reported that they’re pushing for $3.5 billion PER YEAR in forever tax hikes — that works out to be $35 billion in the first 10 years.
$35 billion! It’s massive. It’s terrifying. It’s absolutely nuts. But it’s exactly what we can expect from the 2017 legislature.
We have to protect ourselves. If we don’t, the newly elected governor and newly elected members of the house and senate are gonna go tax crazy.
Jack, Mike, and our entire team are committed to protecting taxpayers with our follow-up initiatives “Tougher To Raise Taxes” and “Bring Back Our $30 Car Tabs.” Without them, taxpayers are completely vulnerable to Olympia’s insatiable tax appetite.
We are junk-yard dogs when it comes to this stuff. So you can count on us to keep trying.
But whether we continue to succeed or not is up to you. We will keep winning on behalf of taxpayers as long as your financial support continues. Please make a donation today. With your help and support, we have accomplished extraordinary things for the taxpayers of Washington. Help us continue.