Supermajority Tax Requirement Under Assault in Washington State

Tuesday, February 9, 2010 2:20 PM

by Matt Varvaro

Yesterday, Washington taxpayers were dealt a serious blow by the State Senate Ways and Means Committee, which adopted a proposed suspension of the state’s 2/3 requirement for tax increases. The measure (SB 6843) making its way through the Senate would “temporarily” waive the voter-approved restriction on tax hikes, allowing for a simple majority vote to raise taxes to pay for additional spending programs. During tough economic times, state governments should be scaling back spending and reducing tax rates; this proposal would simply enable the Washington legislature to avoid making necessary budget reductions.

Jason Mercier, Director of the Center for Government Reform at the Washington Policy Center, suggests removing the legislature’s ability to waive the rule by amending the state constitution:

Rather than continue the current cycle of voters being forced to reenact the 2/3 vote restriction only to have it disregarded by lawmakers, the Legislature should put to rest this debate once and for all by referring the question to voters as a constitutional amendment.

Such an amendment would clearly be a victory for Washington taxpayers. In the meantime, the Senate should vote to preserve the 2/3 requirement.

Tags: SuperMajority WA | Comments (1)

Reader Comments:

I am appalled and unnerved by this legislature's callous disregard for the will of the people. I do not know how supporters of the suspension can sleep at night or look at themselves in the mirror without experiencing a bit of self- loathing unless they are on some type of medication. Whatever it is, they better prescribe large doses of it to their constituency before the next election.

Steven Rush / Spokane, WA February 16, 2010 @ 1:13 am ID: 200807667

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