State Supreme Court Ruling against I-747 Makes it Easier for Elected Officials to Raise Taxes

Seattle - Today's state Supreme Court ruling is bad news for Washington homeowners.  With one stroke, five judges overturned the clear will of the voters and granted elected officials a 600% increase in taxing authority, now allowing 6% yearly tax hikes instead of I-747's 1% limit.

"Property taxes in Washington are already too high, and this ruling makes it much easier for elected officials to make them even higher,"� says Paul Guppy, Vice President for Research at Washington Policy Center. "The people consistently say they want tax relief.  By striking down I-747 on very narrow technical grounds, these five judges have done exactly the opposite.  Their legal reasoning makes no sense, because, according to them, any small change in a law that a popular initiative is trying to amend, means the initiative itself is invalid,"� Guppy added.

Paul Guppy and Jason Mercier are available for comment at pguppy@washingtonpolicy.org and jmercier@washingtonpolicy.org or by calling 1-888-972-9272.