April 20, 2009

Ross fights against fees for taxpayers
'My constituents wonder where the incremental fees will end, and I'm
saying here 'Enough is enough',' Ross says

Rep. Charles Ross, R-Naches, voted today against a proposal he says would trick people into paying a fee to keep parks open.

House Bill 2339 would change an 'opt-in' fee to an 'opt-out' fee for licensing fees to raise money for state parks. Currently, vehicle owners can check a box on their car tab renewal to 'opt-in' to donate to parks:

The proposal adopted 56-42 in the House today would require vehicle owners to check a box to not donate money to parks.

Ross proposed an amendment, which was adopted in committee, to require the opt-out donation be clearly displayed in both paper and on-line vehicle registration renewals. He supported another amendment to require the Washington Parks Commission to not close any parks in its required budget reductions.

"Parks are one of the great returns that taxpayers get on their investment," Ross said. "This 'opt-out' proposal would trick them into paying for yet another fee. Voters thought they would have $30 car tabs when they approved Initiative 695, but proposals like this continue to add to their bill. Voters are sick and tired of these incremental fees and hidden taxes. They want honesty and transparency from their government."

Washington state says 'Do as we say, not as we do'

Ross noted a court case in 1991 in which a King County Superior Court granted a preliminary injunction against a Yakima cable company for an opt-out scheme. The company had been subjecting customers to at least a $1.00 per month charge for a new service they never ordered. Customers were required to 'opt-out' from the service to prevent the charge. The judge in the case said the company likely violated its customers' right to be free from “unfair or deceptive acts or practices” under the Consumer Protection Act.

"If a cable company was found to violate the Consumer Protection Act with a one dollar opt-out charge, then certainly the state must be violating taxpayer rights with this park opt-out fee," Ross said.

The 14th District lawmaker says he is concerned about strategies to continue piling fees on taxpayers during a recession and when the state has a $9 billion deficit.

"We're seeing an all-fee-increase budget mentality promoted by the majority party," Ross said. "They're cutting funding for the vulnerable yet making no structural changes in our state's budgeting or spending processes. I'm fighting to hold the line on the many, many fee increases we keep seeing to make up for the painful cuts in the budget."

House Bill 2334 would remove the restriction on higher education facilities to raise tuition more than 7 percent each year.

"The governor first proposed that we allow higher education facilities to increase tuition each year up to 14 percent, which is appalling for middle-class kids who want to get a degree of any kind," Ross said. "The theory is that if we increase tuition, aid will also increase, but research and other state's stories tell us that the debt load on students remains extraordinary."

House Bill 2331 would increase the document fee for realtors and new homeowners from $10 to $30 for homeless housing and assistance.

"The best way to help get people off the streets and into homes is to give them more opportunities to work and provide for their families," Ross said. "Our focus has to be on teaching people how to fish, not handing out the fish, to provide long-lasting changes for lower income families.

"Folks at home keep telling me that government should be living within its means, and we see this with the huge turnout for tax-day tea parties around the state, including in Yakima. They wonder where it will stop, and who will stand up and say, 'Enough.' So that's what I'm saying in Olympia each time I vote against a fee increase: 'Enough is enough.'"

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