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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
On Monday legislators were sent home while the special session remains incomplete. We are currently in what is called a rolling session, awaiting a call from the Speaker of the House to return to Olympia. This will not occur until the Democrat leadership in the House and Senate come to reconciliation on the method Washington state will bring in approximately $800 million in new taxes.
I have consistently stood up against new taxes as I believe we need to create a sustainable budget which fits within revenue created by private sector job growth. Since last January, more than 173,000 private sector jobs have been lost.
Here is a comparison of the Senate and House tax increase proposals:
Senate
- General Sales Tax Increase of 0.2%
- Increasing Taxes on Coal Power
- Increasing Taxes on Wind Power
House
- Increasing Taxes on Home Mortgages and Community Banks
- Increasing Taxes on Custom Computer Software
- Increasing Taxes on Non-resident Sales (Oregonians shopping in Washington)
- Increasing Taxes on Airplanes
You can view a full comparison of the tax packages here. Ultimately, the Senate is relying on a .2 percent sales tax increase while the House has 21 new or increased taxes.
I will keep you posted on the progress and when we return to Olympia.
Thank you for allowing me to serve you!
Sincerely,
Kevin Parker
