|
Orcutt: I-747 repeal bill an
insult to taxpayers, voters
Finance committee to hear House Bill 2309 this
evening
Rep. Ed Orcutt,
Republican leader on the House Finance Committee, made this statement
regarding
House Bill 2309, scheduled for a hearing by his committee at 6 p.m.
today:
"This bill would repeal
the taxpayer protections the voters created through Initiative 747,
which is insult enough. But it also contains the emergency clause that
would prevent a challenge by voters if the bill becomes law. That would
be insult on top of insult. If HB 2309 were to become law without the
emergency clause, it would take effect in plenty of time for local
governments to prepare their budgets for next year, so I can think of
only one reason why the clause is there: as a shield from angry
taxpayers. Legislation that would throw out a law the voters approved
and take away their power to challenge its replacement is
'government-knows-best' at its worst.
"The I-747 law allows our
cities and counties to get around the 1 percent limit if they get
consent from their voters. Yet only 22 times in the past three years
did they exercise that option, according to testimony our committee
heard from the Association of Washington Cities last week. I guess those
who want to get around the 1 percent limit would prefer to go to Olympia
and do an end run on their voters rather than go to their voters for
approval. And they've found allies in the majority party in the
Legislature.
"There are four bills in
the House, including my
House Bill 1170, which would uphold the will of the voters and
reinstate the I-747 law that has saved taxpayers more than a billion
dollars, helped low-income and senior citizens afford their property
taxes, and made housing more affordable. Passing any of them should be a
no-brainer. But the governor has left the door open to a tax increase --
in excess of 60 million dollars in the case of House Bill 2309 -- even
as members of her party look for ways to spend the huge budget surplus
that's anticipated. I hope this evening is the first and last our
committee sees of House Bill 2309. But if there's enough disregard for
the will of the voters to file it, there's enough disregard to pass it."
# # #
|