by Sue | Jan 16, 2020 | Alerts, For Your Action, Taxation
Port Angeles, WA – Jan. 2, 2020 – At the regular meeting of the Clallam County Republican Party’s (CCRP) Central Committee meeting, a Resolution was passed by a strong majority advising the rejection of the 2020 Port Angeles School District (PASD) $52 million capital levy, which will be on the ballot for that District in a Special Election to be held February 11, 2020. Ballots will be mailed on January 22, 2020, and voters can accept or reject the levy with a 51% vote.
The CCRP Central Committee agrees with Citizens for Affordable Schools, the levy’s opponents, who states that the levy would be
- a 175% property tax increase for PASD residents, and
- that the PASD School Board should use the least costly, common sense solutions to remedy PASD school building deficiencies.
- PASD’s school board should replace old electrical, plumbing and heating systems, and flooring (if needed) instead of wastefully demolishing and replacing several Stevens Middle School’s buildings.
(more…)
by Sue | Dec 17, 2019 | State Party News Releases, Taxation
December 17, 2019
News Release
Rep. Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen, prefiled legislation for the upcoming 2020 session that would reduce property taxes. The measure would gradually lower the state’s portion of property taxes up to 35 percent over the next few years.
The 19th District lawmaker says the amount of the reduction was designed to reflect increased revenue being realized by the state due to higher assessed property values statewide. Walsh believes the excess monies should be returned to taxpayers. (more…)
by Sue | Nov 10, 2019 | Alerts, Taxation
See Action to Take – Questions to Ask – and Background Info below.
ACTION TO TAKE:
1. Show up on Tuesday, November 12, 2019 at 10:30, at the Clallam County Commissioner’s Meeting at the Clallam County Courthouse for the public hearing. Sign up and voice your opinion, or be there to support others who do.
2. Telephone the county commissioners and express your objection and/or questions about the Conservation Futures Fund NEW TAX.
3. Email the Board of County Commissioners (see information below) to let them know your thoughts and/or ask questions about the plan to add more tax to your property (if you are a tenant, it will probably raise the rate of your rent to cover the additional expense of the property).
4. Tell your friends and neighbors or forward this Alert to them, to get out the word. (more…)
by Sue | Jun 13, 2019 | For Your Action, Taxation
In the dead of night, the last day of the State legislature, the State Democrats passed 11 NEW TAXES to the tune of $27 BILLION over the next 10 years, with little or no public input.
Here’s a breakdown of the new taxes.
* New payroll taxes (HB 1087): $8,036,110,541
* New property sales taxes (REET – SB 5998): $1,747,300,000
* New fuel taxes (MTCA – SB 5993): $2,760,000,000
* New taxes on bank customers (SB 6016): $367,900,000
* New taxes on bank customers (HB 2167): $1,035,700,000
* New taxes on border business customers (SB 5997): $311,759,000
* New taxes on travel agent customers (SB 6004): $30,100,000
* New taxes on vaping customers (HB 1873): $207,135,000
* New taxes on online buyers (SB 5581): $1,039,261,000
* New taxes on service business customers (SB 2158): $3,097,600,000
* New property taxes (SB 5313): $8,661,000,000
Total: $27,293,865,541
These are all the tax hikes I-1648 will kill off if passed. Initiative 1648 is the “Sunsets/Expires all 2019 Tax Hikes” Initiative sponsored by Tim Eyman’s group and the citizens of Washington.
Initiative 1648 — “Term Limits on New Taxes” — sunsets/expires all tax hikes not approved by voters at the ballot box. For tax hikes imposed in 2019, the initiative requires they expire on December 5. For tax hikes imposed in 2020 and thereafter, the initiative puts a one-year time limit on them. The “single subject” of I-1648 is putting term limits on legislatively imposed tax increases.
Initiative 1648 needs 320,000 signatures by July 5 to qualify for the ballot.
BALLOT TITLE:
Initiative Measure No. 1648 concerns state taxes. This measure would require state tax increases to expire after one year unless approved by a majority vote of the people, and immediately terminate any tax increases imposed in 2019 without such approval. Should this measure be enacted into law?
The Washington State Republican Party (WSRP) passed the following in support of the Initiative:
Resolution in Support of Signature Gathering for I-1648
WHEREAS, the Party has consistently supported initiatives that make it tougher to raise taxes,
WHEREAS, during the 2019 legislative session, Governor Inslee and the Democrats imposed,
despite unified opposition from Republican legislators, 11 tax increases (costing taxpayers
$27 billion over the next 10 years) with extremely limited public participation or public
scrutiny,
BE IT RESOLVED: that the Washington State Republican Party supports term limits on new
taxes and calls on voters across the state of Washington to sign petitions and gather
signatures for Initiative 1648 before the July 5 deadline.
You can sign or pick up initiatives at
Clallam County Republican Party headquarters, 509 S. Lincoln, Port Angeles or
at The Master Locksmith, 445 W. Washington, Sequim, WA.
by Sue | Apr 4, 2019 | Olympia News and Views, Taxation
April 4, 2019
As the legislative session in Olympia moves on, there are many bills that will affect us as citizens here in Washington State.
As we are seeing with the many objectionable bills working their way through the legislature, elections do matter. With a Republican majority, most of these bills would not have made it out of their respective committees.
HB 1110, “Reducing the greenhouse gas emissions associated with transportation fuels,” is one such bill. The Legislature is once again ignoring the will of the voters (yes, we have voted against carbon taxes several times!) and have a proposal that will increase our gas taxes and create higher energy costs. Increasing the gas tax will impact the prices of most of our goods and services. This is a bill we have all seen before. It is one that claims to be about protecting the environment, yet in reality it increases taxes on the average consumer and funnels more tax dollars into Olympia. This bill has passed in the House and is in committee in the Senate.
SB 5078 (Requiring disclosure of federal income tax returns of presidential and vice presidential candidates prior to appearing on the ballot): A bill designed to keep President Donald J. Trump off the ballot in 2020. A similar bill was vetoed by California’s Democratic Governor, yet the Washington State Democrats think they need to be even more progressive than California.
SB 5395 (Concerning comprehensive sexual health education): A bill making it mandatory for kids in grades K-12 to go through “comprehensive” sexual education. Even though Washington citizens went to Olympia to inform the House members on the problematic nature of this bill, it is still active in committee.
HB 2156 (Investing in quality prekindergarten, K-12, and postsecondary opportunities throughout Washington with excise taxes on sales and extraordinary profits of high valued assets): This is the Democrats’ much anticipated Income Tax Bill. Even though this kind of tax is illegal in Washington State, the Democrats are going forward with it anyway.
Why should Washingtonians pay the highest gas taxes in the country? We are already using technology better than most states, which allows us to use less energy, conserve water, and make the best use of resources in our evergreen state.
Another bill worth complaining about is SB 5313, the two-year state operating budget. It raises questions, such as, “When will our Legislators get the point that this is our tax money they are spending?” and “What don’t they understand about living within a budget?”
The Democrats have brought forth a $53 billion budget proposal. Despite a more than $2 billion surplus, this budget is requiring tax increases of more than $4 billion. Republican legislators have argued that the state has more than adequate funds to cover our state’s priorities without raising taxes. The state revenue forecast through 2021 is predicting an additional $861 million in tax revenue.
For this any many other bills, please make frequent use of the legislative hot line, 1-800-562-6000, to ask your legislators to Vote No.
Sign up for washingtonvotes.org to stay on top of the current status of bills in Olympia.
by Sue | Mar 15, 2019 | Alerts about pending WA State Legislation, Education, Taxation
by Jami Lund,
Freedom Foundation
March 7, 2019
Gov. Jay Inslee’s school levy property tax increase, Senate Bill 5313, continues its path through the Washington State Legislature.
This is due to the crisis in school budgets created by union bargaining. Although districts were expected to stop using levy funds on salary enhancements, the combination of union hard bargaining and acquiescent school boards rendered these laws meaningless. Now many districts are going broke because the large pay raises they awarded are unfunded and unsustainable.
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