|
Democrats shun Republican
approach to balance budget
without tax increases
Voices of “Tea Party” protestors fall on deaf ears
Within hours of the
massive anti-tax protests held throughout Washington, new measures to
raise taxes on the citizens of the state are being introduced by
Democrat lawmakers in Olympia. House Republican Leader
Richard DeBolt
expressed deep disappointment that the majority party budget
writers have readily abandoned the idea of balancing the state budget
without tax increases.
“Without tax increases,
the state actually has slightly more money coming in next biennium than
this biennium. When you add the additional $3 billion in federal
stimulus money coming to us, the state has enough money to balance the
budget and protect the most vulnerable without raising taxes,” said
DeBolt, R-Chehalis. “State government should not be increasing the tax
burden on Washington families who are facing difficult times of their
own. The state should do what families are doing: set priorities and
live within its means.
Democrat lawmakers have
introduced billions in tax increase proposals this week, including a
$900 million sales tax increase and a $4 billion property tax increase
on ”the privilege or ownership” of intangible assets, such as stocks,
bonds and savings accounts. The tax on intangibles effectively acts as
an income tax, taxing money that is invested or put in the bank.
Some of the large tax
measures would go to the voters for approval, but DeBolt called the tax
referendums a false choice cloaked in scare tactics.
“Democrats are literally
telling us that people will die because of budget cuts that will be
made, unless voters say ‘yes’ to tax increases,” DeBolt said. “But they
are the ones who are writing the budget. Why in the world would they
make cuts to the budget that they truly believe are sending our citizens
to their death? And if the lives of citizens are truly hanging in the
balance, why wouldn’t they just pass a tax increase instead of sending
it to the ballot? The answer is that these are scare tactics, and
nothing more. Republicans are here to tell everyone that there are cuts
that can be made in state government that will not cause people to die.”
DeBolt noted that Democrat
lawmakers increased state spending by 33 percent ($8 billion) in the
last four years, turning a $1.8 billion surplus into a $8 billion
shortfall.
“Olympia has a spending
problem, not a revenue problem,” he said. “Every dollar government
spends comes from someone who earned it. If lawmakers set priorities
like working families must do, we can meet our constitutional duty to
fully fund education, protect our most vulnerable, and balance the state
budget without raising taxes.”
The 2009 legislative
session is scheduled to adjourn on April 26.
# # #
For more information, contact:
Lisa Fenton, Communications
Director - (360) 786-7728
|