Support Ron Sims' call for tax reform

We’ve written here before [The Sales Tax: is chump change making you a chump?] about Washington’s regressive tax system that places a higher burden on poor and working families than is fair or equitable. Most of Washington’s tax revenue comes from sales taxes. As a result, lower income people tend to pay a higher share of their wages in taxes than others. Small businesses have also been hurt by the state’s B & O tax – an outmoded system that taxes businesses on their revenue regardless of profitability.

Now, King County Executive Ron Sims, a Democratic candidate for Governor, is proposing dramatic reform that will help Washington grow over time while helping small business owners, property owners and lower income families.

With Sims’ plan, 70-75% of us would pay less tax. Those of us who would pay more tax will benefit from a more stable, equitable and just state.

Sims proposes to replace the sales tax, reduce property taxes and reform the outmoded business & occupation (B & O) tax with a graduated income tax. Read more about Sims plan here and here. Sims’ plan reflects many of the recommendations already made by the recent Gates commission report on statewide tax reform.

Washington State’s constitution prohibits an income tax. Therefore, voter approval would be required to ratify the final plan. So, voters will have the final say after this plan is done.

Behind the scenes, a battle for supremacy is looming between Sims and his primary opponent, the accomplished Attorney General Christine Gregoire. Gregoire has taken a more conservative stance. From the beginning, she has taken the road of continuing Governor Locke’s budgetary vision – which is essentially the status quo. Locke’s term has seen major cuts in social services for lower income people and left many people in our state at risk. It is not a bright vision.

However, Gregoire does propose to eliminate tax loopholes – the kinds of tax breaks that Rick Anderson wrote about in his Seattle Weekly piece, $64B Falls Through the Tax Cracks. This is a very positive step forward – but it doesn’t address the core of the problem.

Sims is hoping to attract liberal, progressive voters who favor an income tax in hope of beating Gregoire in the primary. Gregoire is hoping to maintain her lead in the polls with a more moderate stance – but is also trying to keep herself competitive for the statewide race in November against conservative Republican Dino Rossi.

The only chance Rossi has of winning is if he can claim that Sims or Gregoire plans to raise your taxes. He’d be really happy to see Sims win on a tax reform platform – because it provides the greatest opportunity for a campaign of disinformation.

Tim Hatley, Sims’ campaign manager, told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, "[it’s all in] how you talk about it, and linking it with the economy and education and investments in transportation." And, this is the key.

Washington voters care about education, transportation, the environment and preserving our standard of living. Under the existing tax systems, all these things are eroding. With tax reform, we can strengthen our state and prepare for healthier, more sustainable growth.

You should support Ron Sims’ call for more debate on tax reform. You should support Christine Gregoire’s call to eliminate tax loopholes. Just don’t let the Republicans tell you they want to raise your taxes. Tax reform will likely lower your taxes and make the state’s finances stronger over time. Doing nothing, which is what the Republicans want to do, will likely cost us more of the things that are dear to us – education, the environment, transportation and our quality of life.

Vote your conscious in the primary – and then we will all need to get out and work hard to make sure whoever the Democratic candidate is – that they have the strength to push for tax reform and win in November.

Comments

[Bill Broadhead]

From the Vancouver Columbian, July 22, 2004:

Gregoire's position on taxes resembles that of the leading Republican gubernatorial candidate, former state Sen. Dino Rossi. Gregoire and Rossi oppose an income tax and say they want to reduce business taxes. "Tax reform as Ron discusses it is a tax increase," Gregoire said. "It is not revenue neutral."

[Gary Armstrong]

Sims cares nothing about the little people and cannot effectivley manage King County. Mr. Sims has allowed mismangement and provides favors to few wealthy select group while turning his head to hard evedence of fact. Mr. Sims will not address real problems entrenched in his agencies such as DDES where favors and outride violations of county code and state law get burried by those who committed the acts. I am refering to a Code Enforcement action that DDES dropped after months and thousands of dollars were spent investigating the issue. Then just dropped after what I consider false numbers were entered and used as an excuse to drop the code case. After I hired a PE who measured the road and signed a declartion as to the measurments authentisty I sent the report to King County. The following day the very same superviors opned a code complaint against me. A complaint that was closed 5 years earlier. I reported these issues to Sims with NO response. The harrassments I suffered were harendous. We were suied by those who were involved in the Code enforcement. One Of those individuals wrote a paper that states (I have fought many wars I just finised fighting the war of bickering ridge and the fight against King County run by that imbacile Ron Sims. I do not understand why I cannot just shoot the bastards. )This statement/paper was actualy written by a person involved with the code issue while attending a online collage class. His papers were so scary that the college called the police to investigate. I recived the papers through my attorny by subpeana. Ron sims ignored all my calls for help. God help This state if Sims wins, the state will be ignored as well.

[James Price]

I,James Thomas Price, a native of the state of Kentucky believe the war is wrong. I served in the Persian Gulf War in 1990 and, got injured.
Inow cannot believe the the military used me up and, threw me away like an old shoe.
They found a way to make me go AWOL and now, after serving 6 yrs in the Army and, getting injured in a combat situation. I cannot draw any benefits or get health care from the government.
Iam very disappointed in the military and, our leaders. So disappointed, I want to denounce my citizenship and have nothing more to do with the Eagle that keeps it's nose stuck in other countries' affairs rather than to get the homeless off the streets and, taking care of their wounded veterans. I am disgusted with this country.
Sincerly,
James T. Price