Sen. Matt Boehnke, R-Kennewick/Credit: Washington State Senate
OLYMPIA… Before the 2025 legislative session concludes in 12 days, lawmakers must adopt three new state budgets – the largest being the operating budget, which funds most state agencies and the services they provide.
Our state does have a budget gap caused by chronic overspending, but Senate Republicans have proposed a plan to close it. Using the $5 billion in additional revenue that is expected, and a combination of savings and efficiencies, we can fund the priorities Washingtonians share, boost K-12 funding by billions, protect the state’s rainy-day fund, and avoid cutting services, all without a single tax increase. The “$ave Washington” plan is Senate Bill 5810 (more detail is available here).
The Senate’s majority Democrats are treating the budget gap as an excuse to raise your taxes. In late March they proposed over $21 BILLION in new taxes, and just in time for today – Tax Day in America – they introduced five more tax bills, totaling an estimated $12 BILLION.
Again, legislators aren’t facing a revenue shortage — the problem is runaway spending. It’s legislative negligence, not fiscal responsibility, for Democrats to propose tax hikes even though another $5 billion is expected to come in, without any change in the tax code. Washington families are already struggling with inflation, rising housing costs, and higher energy bills. The last thing they need is a heavier tax burden.
The five new tax bills will be heard in the Senate Ways and Means Committee meeting at 5:30 p.m., tomorrow, in Senate Hearing Room 4 in the John A. Cherberg Building on the Capitol Campus in Olympia.
Here’s my take on what each of the new tax bills means. Keep reading for how you can let the committee know your opinions about them.
This bill tells job creators, “Thanks for investing in Washington — now here’s your punishment.” It’s anti-growth, anti-innovation, and out of touch with the realities of running a business in this state.
All session long we’ve heard the majority talk about making the wealthy pay more. But as they say, talk is cheap, because increasing the sales tax on certain services has the opposite effect – it’s harder on lower- and middle-income families.
SB 5813 – Capital Gains & Estate Tax Hikes
When the tax on capital-gains income was imposed by Democrats in 2021, Republicans warned that it would eventually fail to generate the desired amount of money – and then the majority would look to expand the tax. Sure enough, that day has arrived, and Democrats want to increase the tax by 40% on an upper level of capital gains.
SB 5812 – Property Tax Increases
Tripling the cap on the annual growth rate of property taxes wouldn’t just go against the will of the people who set the cap at 1%; doing so when Washington already has a shortage of affordable housing would really squeeze families, seniors, and renters. The truth is, governments can already exceed the cap – they just need voter approval, but their lives would be easier if Democrats change the law.
The majority seems to have a love-hate relationship with electric vehicles. You can get a credit from the state for buying an EV, but at the same time EVs are blamed for a drop off in the gas-tax revenue that helps fund highway maintenance and construction. This takes the anger in a different direction, because it appears Tesla would be the only automaker hit by this bill.
How can you make your views known?
Visit this link and choose a bill to open the “select type of testimony” options. The simplest option is to have your position “noted for the legislative record” – meaning PRO or CON.
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VIDEO—Sen Matt Boehnke addresses concerns over proposed Democrat tax increases, highlighting their impact on technology, higher education & manufacturing. He urges citizens to oppose these measures to protect businesses and innovation #waleg