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McCune supports move to
reinstate I-747;
votes 'no' on risky property tax deferral plan
During Thursday’s special
session,
State Rep. Jim McCune
voted to support a measure that reinstates taxpayer protections created
by Initiative 747.
McCune, co-sponsor of the I-747 bill, was among the first Republicans to
call for a special session after the state Supreme Court ruled the 2001
initiative unconstitutional. He believes the court decision was wrong
and insulting to voters.
“It was important we acknowledge the voters’ demand for property tax
relief,” said McCune, R-Graham. “I disagree with the court’s assertion
that citizens weren’t smart enough to know what they were voting for
when they approved I-747. There was never any question in my mind that
we had to honor the will of the people, step up and lock the one percent
levy limit in place.”
In its narrow 5-4 decision, the high court agreed with the 2006 ruling
in King County Superior Court that I-747’s ballot language was
misleading and unconstitutionally deceptive. The four dissenting
justices disagreed, writing: “There is no confusion, ambiguity or
uncertainty in this initiative.”
“We’ve been trying to convince the governor to fix this problem since
June 2006 when the lower court first ruled against the initiative,”
McCune noted, adding that providing property tax relief was a Republican
priority during the 2007 legislative session.
McCune co-sponsored bills that would have formally restored I-747’s
protections, but the majority party turned back efforts to bring the
measures to a vote.
“The majority party sent our proposals off to die,” he said. “If we had
fulfilled our policy-making responsibilities last session, and not left
the decision to the state Supreme Court, we could have avoided this
potential property-tax crisis.”
McCune was concerned by published reports some legislators were
considering a move during the special session to make the 1 percent cap
temporary.
“One percent means one percent,” he said. “The state Supreme Court
shattered the will of the people, and anything short of siding with the
taxpayers amounts to turning a deaf ear to the voters of Washington.
That’s something I simply cannot and would not support.”
To McCune’s relief, the proposal never came to the floor.
McCune also supported a measure (House Bill 2419) introduced this week
that would provide a $400 rebate for all residential homeowners who paid
property taxes on their primary residence in 2007. The majority party
would not allow the bill to come to the House floor for a vote.
“We’ve got a billion dollar state surplus, and a rebate to homeowners in
time for the Christmas holidays would be a good way to provide real
property tax relief,” he said. “Regrettably, the majority party turned
it down today.”
McCune voted against a property tax deferral bill (House Bill 2417) that
he termed “a deceptive, short-term scheme with long-term consequences.”
“The deferral program sounds great, but the devil’s in the details. It’s
actually a tax increase in the long-run. Eventually the bill comes due,
and the homeowner would be required to pay state government all the back
taxes, plus interest as high as 7 percent. It’s a bad idea and horrible
public policy,” he said.
McCune said he understands the concerns some taxing districts have about
I-747 but pointed out that, under its provisions, if there’s a need for
more money for local services, local officials can make their case with
the voters who can choose whether or not to increase the one percent
limit.
“Raising the levy lid is an important option for local governments, but
voters were very clear that they want to have a voice in that process,”
McCune concluded.
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For more information, contact:
John
Handy, Assistant Director: (360) 786-5758
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