Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson has set some clear expectations when it comes to raising taxes.
Now that he is the final line of defense against the largest tax increase in state history, it’s important for him to stand behind his words, even if it brings legislators back to Olympia.
In January, the new governor came in talking about billions in spending reductions and describing tax increases as a last resort for addressing the multibillion-dollar budget shortfall inflicted on our state by the majority’s repeated overspending.
This was encouraging to Republicans, who had watched Gov. Jay Inslee support and sign a multitude of tax increases since Olympia fell back under one-party control in 2018. It seemed to shock Democrats, who had already put together a long wish list of tax increases.
Fast forward to April, and more clear direction on taxes. First, Ferguson shot down the so-called “wealth” tax at the core of the budget adopted by Senate Democrats. He also warned against using accounting gimmicks.
The majority retreated behind closed doors for a couple of weeks, then floated a $12 billion tax package. No, Ferguson said — still too much in taxes.
The governor’s last words on taxes while legislators were still in session came April 19. In a television interview, he said “the most important thing” is a budget that doesn’t increase taxes on working families and prepares our state for any financial turmoil resulting from federal funding decisions.
That seems clear enough. Yet, a week later, Democrats finally let Republicans and the public see the budget deal they had cut in secret — funded by a sales-tax increase and business-tax increase that will be felt more by working families than other Washington households. No one was allowed to propose any changes to that budget before they approved it the following day, which was the 105th and final day of the session. It was passed without any Republican support.
In all, the tax increases approved by Democrats will enrich government by an additional $9.5 billion over four years at the state level. The total climbs to $12.5 billion once you factor in the local effect of the sales tax hike and the property tax increases that will come from increased school levy authority.
If Ferguson thought $12 billion in additional taxes was too much in mid-April, then $12.5 billion in additional taxes should still be too much now. It shouldn’t matter whether the taxes are state or local, because families have to pay no matter who’s doing the taking.
Throughout the session, I and other Republicans have said we would take the governor at his word when it came to taxes and the budget. Now we’ll see if he will back up those words with action.
That means vetoing the tax increases that will hit working families and the shameful gimmicks also used to balance the budget — like the irresponsible moves tied to pension funding that create the illusion of a $1 billion savings.
While he’s at it, Gov. Ferguson also should veto the big increases in the fees for the Discover Pass and for hunting and fishing licenses. While he didn’t talk against fee increases the way he did tax increases, these are wrapped into the new budget — and they all have the same effect on a lower- or moderate-income family’s budget.
In that April 19 TV interview, the governor also was asked about budget vetoes and pushing legislators into a “special” session. He replied that taking a few more days would be OK — and Republicans agree.
I remember the sessions of 2013, 2015 and 2017, when the budget was negotiated by Republicans from the Senate and Democrats from the House. Disagreements between the two chambers over taxes and spending led to overtime in each of those years, delaying final approval of the budget until just before the July 1 start of the new budget cycle.
Because those final budgets were balanced without general tax increases, taxpayers came out ahead, saving much more than the overtimes cost.
In fact, the budget adopted in 2013 didn’t just avoid tax increases — it brought an end to a 27-year streak of in-state tuition increases. The no-new-taxes budget passed in 2015 went a step farther, cutting tuition for the first time in state history and putting a cap on increases going forward. These functioned like a tax cut for middle-income families across our state.
I bring this up because, unbelievably, Democrats had proposed tuition increases this year along with the record tax hikes. They dropped the idea after Republicans sounded the alarm, prompting an intense public backlash.
It’s not difficult to keep the cost of a special session to a minimum. If Governor Ferguson vetoes the policies that increase costs on working families, as Republicans would have him do, budget leaders don’t even have to meet in person to come up with the necessary adjustments. The technology needed to meet remotely was proven during the pandemic and is still used intermittently during our sessions.
When a new budget agreement is in place, legislators simply return to the Capitol, take the necessary votes, and go home again, as we did in 2013, 2015 and 2017.
Ferguson’s stance on tax increases hasn’t set well with some of his fellow Democrats. Budget vetoes won’t either. But if he meant what he said about protecting working families from tax increases, and prohibiting accounting gimmicks, it’s hard to see that the governor has any choice other than to get out his veto pen and use it liberally.
This is a good time to recall that the budget proposal Jay Inslee submitted to legislators in mid-December, before leaving the governor’s mansion, would have required $13 billion in new taxes. No one was surprised by that, considering all the other tax increases he had supported and signed while in office.
If Ferguson signs off on bills that raise taxes by $12.5 billion, the separation between him and Inslee will be much less than the new governor’s words led anyone to believe.
While Democrats may have reason to oppose or fear Ferguson budget vetoes, Republicans would welcome them. After all, the “$ave Washington” budget we proposed would maintain core services without a single tax increase, and it meets every one of the six budget priorities Ferguson laid out in April.
The constitutional deadline for the governor to act is May 20. If he stands behind his words, and our Democratic colleagues need help responding, we’re ready to help. It’s the better path for our state.
•••
Sen. John Braun of Centralia serves the 20th Legislative District, which spans parts of four counties from Yelm to Vancouver. He became Senate Republican leader in 2020.
