State GOP Says Dems Lying About Surplus Revenue, Push for Tax Relief
Two State Senate and House GOP leaders say Democrats are not telling the truth when it comes to the potential to use some of the state's reserve revenues for tax relief.
Democrats claim much of the state's reserve is one-time money. It's not
State Senate Leader John Braun and House Leader J.T. Wilcox said Republicans were shocked and disappointed with two Democrat supplemental budgets released Monday.
According to their joint statement:
"Neither of the operating-budget proposals gives any real, meaningful tax relief to middle-income Washingtonians, while their transportation packages pile on with fees and the new fuel tax. Instead, Democrats pay lip service to the needs of people trying to recover from unemployment and other losses."
Braun went on to point out that since Gov. Inslee took office, state spending has nearly doubled, the growth rate of state government is nearly four time the rate of inflation.
How much does the state have in reserves?
Because of increased forecast revenues, the state's surplus is expected to reach just over $15 billion dollars, say GOP leaders. However, Democrats say it's one-time-only money--spent it and it's gone.
However, that is not true. Braun and Wilcox say only $2.3 billion of the surplus is one time, the rest renews itself (due to how state finances operate).
Now is the time, they say for Inslee and Democratic leaders to stop paying lip service to struggling businesses and citizens and pass a budget that take pressure off, especially with tax cuts.