April 15, 2009

Dear friends and neighbors,

In cities throughout Washington, people are gathering today in a "Tax Day Tea Party" to protest against outrageously high taxes. More than 5,000 people also came to the steps of the state Capitol this afternoon to say they are "Taxed Enough Already." These events are being held today because midnight is the deadline for federal income taxes to be filed.

Washington is in the grip of an unprecedented economic crisis. New figures released yesterday show the state has an unemployment rate of 9.2 percent with 344,069 people without jobs. Many counties across the state have double-digit unemployment, including Skagit County at 10.8 percent. In the 39th District, this is followed by Snohomish County - 9.7 percent; Whatcom County - 9 percent; and King County - 8 percent.

Individuals and families are having to make hard decisions and are forced to do more with less. I believe state government should do the same. Raising taxes now would only prolong this economic recession. People are at their breaking point and that is why there's a tax revolt today throughout the state of Washington. It is also why my fellow Republican legislative colleagues and I have pushed hard for a no-new-taxes budget that makes a clear distinction between what the Legislature wants and what taxpayers can afford.

This week's article focuses on taxes and the need to provide a sustainable budget without asking citizens for more money.

As always, I welcome your comments. Please click here to contact my office through our e-mail service.

It is an honor to serve you.

Sincerely,

Dan Kristiansen
State Representative
39th Legislative District

P.S. - When e-mailing me, please do not hit reply to this e-mail as I will not receive the response. Instead, I invite you to click here and e-mail me. Thank you!

Lawmakers should abandon tax talks
and work for a sustainable budget
By Rep. Dan Kristiansen

It's April 15, tax day, the deadline to file your federal income tax returns and give the federal government a substantial portion of your income. Tomorrow, however, is also a significant day. April 16 is Washington’s "Tax Freedom Day."

Congratulations! The money you earn after tomorrow is yours to keep for the rest of the year.

According to the Tax Foundation research group, Washington citizens will work three and a half months of the year (106 days) from Jan. 1 to April 16, before they have earned enough money to pay this year's federal, state and local tax obligations.

Tax Freedom Day comes nine days earlier than last year. Time to celebrate right? Not really. Washington citizens are not paying less taxes. The earlier date is because of the recession. More than 330,000 Washingtonians are unemployed. People's incomes are reduced. Citizens have tightened their belts, resulting in fewer tax collections, which accelerated Tax Freedom Day.

If anything, we should be concerned about Washington’s high taxes -- and proposals that would further increase your tax burden. The Tax Foundation ranks Washington the eighth highest-taxed state in the nation. Out of all the states west of the Mississippi River, only California ranks higher.

Forbes Magazine also ranked Washington eighth, noting our average tax burden per person is $2,553. It said Washington is “the leading Western state for taxes. There are low property taxes in the state, and no personal income tax, but just try and buy something. Sales taxes--which come out to $2,181 per person--account for 85 percent of personal taxes paid."

The state's budget crisis is not due to lack of tax revenue. Revenues have steadily increased in recent years. Two years ago, Washington had a $2 billion surplus. Instead, it's a spending problem. The majority party increased spending by 33 percent over the last four years – far beyond the revenue increases.

These reports should serve as an alert that Washingtonians are taxed enough. Instead, majority lawmakers are considering additional ways to take more money out of your pocket.

There's a Senate proposal to add an income tax for those making over $500,000. Soon after that was proposed, the Senate majority leader suggested the threshold be dropped to $250,000. How long will it take before this is expanded to people with lower incomes? As the Wall Street Journal noted, "The new fashion is to take advantage of hard times to target a class of people that few politicians are willing to defend -- and then expand that class."

Another idea would raise the sales tax to fund health care services. Supporters have begun a major TV campaign and say it would be a temporary two-year tax. When was the last time you saw a “temporary tax?”

The governor wants to raise tuition by as much as 30 percent. KOMO TV's Ken Schram says this tax increase would "financially flail working-class families with the absurd notion that their kids would someday go to college."

Enough! Lawmakers shouldn't be seeking ways to push Tax Freedom Day further into the future. You're already working too long to pay government.

Columnist Richard S. Davis summed it up best: If we want to help our state get back on the road to economic prosperity, "lawmakers should abandon talks of present and future tax increases and concentrate on creating a sustainable budget."

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EDITOR'S NOTE: State Rep. Dan Kristiansen, R-Snohomish, represents the 39th Legislative District, and also serves as chairman of the Washington House Republican Caucus. He can be contacted at (360) 786-7967 or from his Web site at: www.houserepublicans.wa.gov/Kristiansen.