Tag Archives: taxes
As voter-approved Initiative 976 remains in legal limbo due to a King County court ruling Nov. 27, Senate Republican Leader Mark Schoesler suggests the measure returning car-tabs to $30 can’t receive a fair court hearing because so many judges owe their jobs to Democrats.
“Most people don’t know that nearly 63 percent of Washington judges were initially appointed by Democrats,” said Schoesler. “So how can an issue like I-976 get a fair hearing when most of the judges are selected by the party that wants to expand government and take more of the people’s money?
“We’ve all seen what has happened over the past month: Taxpayers vote themselves relief from dishonest and onerous car tab costs. Then Democrats in King County sue and a judge in that overwhelmingly Democrat county rules the initiative should not go into effect. This week, the state Supreme Court upholds that ruling to put it on hold, despite its passage by voters.
“You don’t have to be a cynic to say that our state’s Democrats, who control all three branches of Washington’s government, are able to thwart taxpayers’ desire for tax relief no matter what the people say,” added Schoesler.
Schoesler noted that of the 224 judges or justices currently serving in Washington (193 Superior Court judges, 22 court of appeals judges and nine Supreme Court justices), 140 were initially appointed to the bench by a Democrat governor. With Gov. Jay Inslee’s appointment this week of Judge Raquel Montoya-Lewis to the state Supreme Court to replace retiring Justice Mary Fairhurst, four of the nine Supreme Court justices have been appointed by a Democrat governor.
In King County, the appointment rate is 66 percent among Superior Court judges and 80 percent among court of appeals judges in the division with jurisdiction over that county.
“It’s hard for the majority of Washington voters who approved Initiative 976 to think that our court system will give this measure a fair hearing when so many of them were placed there by tax-loving Democrats,” said Schoesler.
Schoesler represents the 9th Legislative District, which covers all or part of Adams, Asotin, Franklin, Garfield, Spokane and Whitman counties.
Senate Republican Leader Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, responded to today’s release of the Senate Democrats’ 2019-21 operating budget proposal by calling on the Democratic majorities in the Senate and House to back up their calls for “tax fairness” by passing legislation that lowers regressive taxes on Washingtonians.
“One of the main arguments that Democrats make when they again demand a state income tax on capital gains is that it’s about fairness,” said Schoesler, who is a member of the budget-writing Senate Ways and Means Committee. “If the Democrats really care about tax fairness, they should take advantage of our historically large revenue surplus and actually cut regressive taxes that affect low- and middle-income people the most, such as the state sales tax and Sound Transit taxes.
“Many people living in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties are having a hard time making ends meet because of the high taxes just to pay for Sound Transit,” added Schoesler. “Lowering the state sales tax would help consumers from South Bend to Spokane.
“Instead of constantly talking about tax fairness in ways that stick it to taxpayers, maybe my Democratic colleagues should take advantage of our exceptional revenue surplus and for once realize it would be fair to give taxpayers a well-earned tax reduction.”
As he promised last year, Senate Republican Leader Mark Schoesler has introduced a bill that would impose a statewide ban on future jobs-tax legislation similar to the so-called “head tax” that was approved, then repealed, by the Seattle City Council in mid-2018.
Schoesler’s proposal, Senate Bill 5589, would prohibit local taxes based on employee wages, employee hours or the number of employment positions.
“Let’s remember that although the Seattle jobs tax was repealed within a month of becoming law, that wasn’t due to concerns about the tax’s illegality, or a realization that it was the wrong way to address the city’s lack of affordable housing. The council reversed course after it became clear voters would likely reject it through a referendum,” said Schoesler, R-Ritzville.
“This bill is needed because if Seattle erroneously thought it had the authority to impose a jobs tax, another city might try to go that route too. That would have a negative effect on working families and that community’s economy because it tells employers that their business is not appreciated.
“My bill will make it clear that any future taxing of jobs will be illegal,” added Schoesler. “It’s wrong for any city in Washington to undermine the jobs that working families depend on simply because of political ideology and a thirst for more revenue. And if cities want the Legislature’s help addressing the lack of affordable housing, they should support the package of Senate Republican legislation that gets at the fundamental question of supply and demand.”
The bipartisan bill has been sent to the Senate Local Government Committee for consideration.
Senate Republican Leader, Sen. Mark Schoesler, and Senate Majority Leader, Sen. Rodney Tom, stop by the TVW studio to discuss the 2013 legislative session on Inside Olympia with Austin Jenkins. The topic of discussion is the upcoming 30 day special session where legislators will forge the state operating budget.
**NOTE**
If you are having trouble watching the video, please follow the link below to watch the video on TVW.org
https://www.tvw.org/index.php?option=com_tvwplayer&eventID=2013050061#start=74&stop=1771