Eyman, Gregoire clash over tax rollback
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Tax rebel Tim Eyman, already pursuing an initiative to restore the supermajority requirement to pass taxes in Olympia, now is weighing in with ballot measures aimed at rolling back all or part of the $631 million in new revenue approved by the Legislature this week.
Eyman and his partners, Jack and Mike Fagan, have filed eight proposed initiatives that take aim at the 2-cent-a-can tax on pop, a nickel-a-can tax on beer, a $1-a-pack increase in the cigarette tax, a newly imposed sales tax on candy and bottled water, a tax increase on business services, and a tax on home mortgages. Eyman hasn't indicated which measures they will actually pursue, or how they'll coordinate efforts with other tax critics.
Although the Legislature's total revenue package was nearly $800 million, about $155 million of that was a consensus bill to fix a legal problem with a tax on some out-of-state businesses for the share of business they conduct here.
Eyman told reporters the task of gathering enough signatures to earn a place on the November ballot is daunting. It takes 241,153 valid signatures–or about 300,000 to allow for invalid signatures–by July 2.
Governor Gregoire says the tax rollback would have "immediate and long-term" impact, and that deeper cuts would be necessary in education, higher education and services for the poor.
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Secretary of State
Steve Hobbs
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