Initiative 695: 'No' to devastating cuts
Initiative 695 is a wolf in sheep's clothing.
It promises to cut vehicle license fees to $30, whether the vehicle is a
1978 Chevette, a new Mercedes Benz or a luxurious motor home.
The owner of a car worth $5,000 can expect an annual savings of about $80
and $850 for a car valued at $40,000.
Who wouldn't go for that?
Anyone smart enough to lift the sheepskin.
The measure, as crafted, will cripple state and local agencies, undermine
elective government and gut last year's voter-approved Referendum 49, which
attempts to tackle the state's huge transportation program.
In recent weeks, the newspaper has been filled with stories about government
officials busying themselves with contingency plans should I-695 pass. The
prospects are grim.
For the current two-year budget cycle, which began July 1, the motor vehicle
excise tax is expected to raise about $1.5 billion. If I-695 passes and takes
effect Jan. 1, the loss for the biennium would be about $1.2 billion after
six months of collections.
In the Tri-City area, the anticipated impacts are profound. The state Office
of Financial Management estimates Benton and Franklin counties and their nine
incorporated cities, the health district and Ben Franklin Transit will lose
a combined total of about $13.2 million in next years budgets.
Initiative backers dismiss elected officials' warnings of deep cuts as a
sinister strategy by politicians to keep government fat. That argument doesn't
hold water, especially in our community. Elected officials on city councils,
school boards and the transit board are volunteer citizens who receive little
or no compensation. Elected county officials receive full-time salaries but
they are members of our community as well.
Who better to discuss the effects of deep cuts than those elected by the
people to manage effective delivery of government services?
That brings us to what is perhaps the most troublesome aspect of I-695.
The measure's authors, fearing governments would raise other taxes if voters
approved the car tab break, folded in a provision that effectively hamstrings
elected officials.
Any increase in taxes or fees would require a vote of the people. That includes
everything from increases in statewide hunting licenses to utility rates to
fees at public agencies, including copying fees at the library, school lunch
costs and room fees at a public hospital.
Citizens elect representatives to study these issues and make informed decisions
for us. If they don't do a good job, they lose their seats.
With every tax and fee increase requiring voter approval, voters may be too
overwhelmed to educate themselves about every issue that comes before them.
And such elections are costly and would waste taxpayers' money.
Backers of I-695 may have a point that the state's motor vehicle excise tax,
as it's structured, is too burdensome. But it is one way that Washington state
collects taxes. With the exception of Alaska, other states with low car tab
fees also collect an income tax - something Washington voters likely wouldn't
support.
Gov. Gary Locke promised he would call a special session of the Legislature
to overhaul the state's car tax if voters rejected I-695.
It's an offer voters should take advantage of. The Legislature is the right
place to craft a responsible public policy alternative to this draconian initiative.
Voters should be skeptical about initiatives because they are plopped on the
ballot without the refinement that occurs in the legislative process. This
initiative's rough edges and uncertain effects show it is no exception.
I-695 backers are counting on voters to be lured by the simple promise of
a reduction in car tab rates and not look at the potentially devastating consequences.
Voters should resist the initiative's superficial appeal and reject this
reckless measure.
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