{"id":92824,"date":"2009-12-21T19:20:09","date_gmt":"2009-12-22T00:20:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/seattletimes.nwsource.com\/html\/northwestvoices\/2010563628_rosafranklinssupportofaprogressivestateincometax.html?syndication=rss"},"modified":"2009-12-21T19:20:09","modified_gmt":"2009-12-22T00:20:09","slug":"rosa-franklins-support-of-a-progressive-state-income-tax","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/92824","title":{"rendered":"Rosa Franklin’s support of a progressive state income tax"},"content":{"rendered":"

Response to letter on Olympia\u2019s means<\/strong><\/p>\n

In letter writer Jerry Oaksmith\u2019s response to state Sen. Rosa Franklin\u2019s thoughts on a state income tax [\u201cMake more, spend more,\u201d Opinion, Northwest Voices, Dec. 16], he ends by saying, \u201cwe need Olympia to live within the means we vote to give them.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a matter of act, Olympia is living within its means, which is why so many things are being slashed from the budget. Revenue from our state tax on retail sales \u2014 the topic of this discussion \u2014 has fallen significantly in the past fiscal year.<\/p>\n

In the 2007 fiscal year it was $7.4 billion, in 2008 it was $7.7 billion, but for 2009 it had dropped to $6.9 billion, a 9-percent decrease.<\/p>\n

This drop is a result of a failing economy, and with that economic change comes a significant increase in the need for state services, services we voted the state provide.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Duane Wright, Seattle<\/em><\/p>\n

Reinstating the car-tab tax<\/strong><\/p>\n

In \u201cWashington state\u2019s regressive tax system needs an overhaul\u201d [Opinion, guest commentary, Dec. 14], state Sen. Rosa Franklin has it right.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, however, to many of Washington\u2019s elected officials and many of our state\u2019s voters, even discussion of a state income tax is anathema, though for different reasons: elected officials because they fear facing angry voters in their next election campaign, and for taxpaying voters because of fear that a state income tax will be an additional, and not a phased-in, replacement tax.<\/p>\n

I would like to suggest a simple, quick-fix solution to the additional $2.8 billion shortfall in the state\u2019s budget: reinstituting the car-tab tax based on the value of one\u2019s car, historically one of the state\u2019s most progressive taxes.<\/p>\n

As Times readers may recall, Initiative 695\u2019s elimination of the car-tab tax in 1999 immediately blew a yearly $2 billion hole in the state\u2019s budget, a now $20 billion hole one could argue we are still struggling to fill.<\/p>\n

At the time, the Washington State Supreme Court ruled Initiative 695 unconstitutional on a technicality, and yet then-Gov. Gary Locke decided to follow the will of the people and did not reinstitute the car-tab tax.<\/p>\n

Yet people continue to want government to provide services the state does not have the resources to pay for.<\/p>\n

People lived with the car-tab tax, and will get used to living with it again. The state desperately needs the revenue to pay for education, basic health insurance, infrastructure and so much more.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Marvin Stern, Seattle<\/em><\/p>\n

Hip hip, hurrah for state Sen. Rosa Franklin<\/strong><\/p>\n

Three cheers for state Sen. Rosa Franklin\u2019s commentary arguing for a state income tax, with reductions to sales and property taxes.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a disgrace that we have the most regressive system in the U.S., with the poorest paying much more of their income than the rich, who pay a pittance. Franklin deserves kudos for continuing to submit this bill to the Legislature.<\/p>\n

Additionally, such a tax should be steeply graduated. The rich can afford to pay a high percentage of their income in taxes like they did in the 1960s, and they have a social responsibility to support the services many others so desperately need.<\/p>\n

The cynical argument that income taxes on the wealthy and corporate taxes kill jobs is hogwash. While the fat cats amass more money than they can figure out profitable places to invest, any extra funds working and poor people get to keep, go right back into the goods and services that grow the economy.<\/p>\n

The legislative majority\u2019s decisions to cut essential services like the Basic Health Plan and slash state employee jobs hurt not only real people in need, but public health, welfare and the economy.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Megan Cornish, Seattle<\/em><\/p>\n

Thanks, but no thanks<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thanks, but no thanks, Sen. Rosa Franklin. We already have a state sales tax that is too high. The addition of a state income tax will only mean that there will be a huge increase in income to the state, for them to spend as they wish.<\/p>\n

If a state income tax were to be proposed, it would have to be an amendment to the state constitution. Does anyone think that those in power will fix the income tax percentage in the amendment?<\/p>\n

I think not.<\/p>\n

To do so would fix their hands, and bar future increases in the percentages, without the consent of the people.<\/p>\n

Former Gov. Mike Lowry became a one-term governor over his promise of \u201cgive me a 4 percent income tax and I\u2019ll reduce the sales tax to 4 percent.\u201d The people of Washington aren\u2019t that stupid.<\/p>\n

The promise of one person in government is meaningless. Yeah, reduce the sales tax to 4 percent. When the overall revenue generated by the sales tax drops even one penny, a crisis will force the rate back up to where it was before, or higher.<\/p>\n

The people have to live within their individual means, why can\u2019t the state. No one that I know gets 10-percent pay raises each year, so why should the state be allowed to spend as much as they want?<\/p>\n

\u2014 Charles Lund, Shoreline<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Response to letter on Olympia\u2019s means In letter writer Jerry Oaksmith\u2019s response to state Sen. Rosa Franklin\u2019s thoughts on a state income tax [\u201cMake more, spend more,\u201d Opinion, Northwest Voices, Dec. 16], he ends by saying, \u201cwe need Olympia to live within the means we vote to give them.\u201d As a matter of act, Olympia […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-92824","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92824","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=92824"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92824\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92824"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=92824"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=92824"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}