Count on it: They stick it to businesses

In my letter last week (“They’d rather spend than save,” Feb. 12), it was predicted that the state Legislature would: a) gut Initiative 960 (a tax-limiting measure passed by citizens); and, b) rush to the feeding trough to begin raising taxes.

Here is a partial reciting of how the week progressed.

I-960 was in fact gutted in a Keystone Kops-like procedure where a bill was passed, withdrawn, rewritten, submitted again and then passed for the second time, all within 24 hours.

This is warp speed for our Legislature.

Meanwhile, the rush to propose or submit tax increases resembled the rush to the Alaska goldfields.

Here is just one example. An e-mail was sent on Feb. 12 to I 960 e-mail subscribers.

The subject line reads “House Introduction and Public Hearing Notice for 3176HB.”

The hearing is scheduled for Feb. 13, 2010.

Is that fast or what?

This bill is titled “An Act Relating to increasing state revenues to preserve funding for education, public safety, health care, and safety net services for elderly, disabled, and vulnerable people by preventing abusive tax-avoidance transactions, narrowing or eliminating certain tax preferences and providing equitable tax treatment.”

Don’t you just love the wording of this thing?

The proposed tax increases in 3176 are on the six areas listed below with total tax dollars collected in the years 2010 through 2019.

• Aircraft Excise Tax — $49,399,000

• Airplane Excise Tax — $92,124,000

• B&O Tax — $4,416,828

• Public Utility Tax — $65,014,000

• Real Estate Excise Tax — $129,942,000

• Retail Sales Tax — $639,152,000

• Total — $5,392,459,000

The common thread here is that all of these proposed new taxes are aimed at business activity of one kind or another, and it is a certainty that the end result will be increased cost to us as consumers, a choking off of business activity and lost jobs or jobs that will not be generated.

In addition, the state is sending a message to any business that might be considering expanding or relocating to Washington to hurry up so you can contribute more tax money.

How well do you think that message will be received?

The Legislature and governor are asking for enormous contributions from the most productive segments of the states economy.

Where are the contributions from state employees? Where are the proposals for changing how the state does business?

Are we to become a failed state like California? It’s beginning to look that way.

We all must let our legislators know that we need a more creative approach to fundamental change.

And we need to consider where our votes will go in November.

By the way, kudos to Sens. Tim Sheldon (D-Belfair) and Derek Kilmer (D-Gig Harbor) for their display of courage and reason for voting against this monstrosity labeled HB-3176.

DICK DAVIS

Port Orchard