Reader shares thoughts on I-695

Published 2:11 am Friday, October 3, 2008

Ten facts you should know before voting on I-695:

1. Reducing license tabs to $30 will reduce revenue $1.1 billion for

a two-year budget.

2. This is 1/70th of the city, county and state budgets that use it. That’s

less than two percent.

3. Olympia’s new two-year budget increased $4.6 billion to $45.2

billion. A total of 6,200 full-time employees are to be hired.

4. The new increase is more than four

times the I-695 reduction.

5. Opponents are trying to scare us with lies and threats.

6. They’ll put a state income tax on us? Impossible.

Unconstitutional without a vote of the people.

7. Property tax on cars? Nonsense. Property tax lids are easily

reached with the existing tax base. They would have to decrease existing tax to

add new. The Department of Revenue will push this hoax only until Election Day.

8. Referendum 49 was enacted in January 1999. It specifies how the

vehicle excise tax is to be spent, 32 percent to local transit systems, etc.

All the programs were here before Referendum 49. They’ll all be here after

I-695 passes.

9. I-695 requires a vote of the people to raise taxes or fees.

Colorado has had this since 1990. They are the 39th highest taxed. We don’t have

it, yet. We’re the sixth highest taxed.

10. You should not assume your friends know these facts. Tell

them. Discuss it.

On Nov. 2, a yes vote will get you a small deserved tax break, and

some badly needed tax control before we’re the No. 1 taxed state.

Dick Hansen

Moses Lake