Benton leads
effort to call special session to enact I-747 property tax limit
November 13, 2007
OLYMPIA…Sen.
Don Benton, R-Vancouver, began calling on legislators today to
convene a special session during committee assembly days Nov.
28-30 to enact a 1 percent limit on state and local property
tax collections.
The state constitution has a
provision that allows the Legislature to call itself into
session without the governor's blessing.
The 1 percent limit has been in
place since voters approved I-747 in 2001, but was struck down
by the Washington State Supreme Court last week. The state had
appealed a King County Superior Court judge’s ruling that I-747
was unconstitutional.
I-747 has been holding the state
and local governments to a 1 percent limit on property tax
collections over the prior year without a vote of the people. It
was approved with a 58 percent “yes” vote. A 6 percent cap was
in place at the time of the vote.
“Not only could local governments
increase property taxes to the 6 percent limit, they could
actually increase them by much more,” Benton said. “The court’s
decision has given them the ability to raise taxes immediately,
and by more than 6 percent, by tapping into their banked
capacity. With the subprime mortgage lending crisis, and
already high property taxes, it is intolerable to subject
homeowners to the threat of such an enormous increase to their
property taxes. We must act quickly to prevent this from
happening.”
Banked capacity means local taxing
districts have had the 6 percent taxing authority all along, and
they can now tap it. It is estimated that the I-747 cap has
saved property owners $1.6 billion.
Under House and Senate Joint
Rules, the Legislature may call itself into a special session
with a two-thirds vote. Benton is seeking a commitment from
legislators for that two-thirds vote by circulating a
petition.
He has the backing of legislative Republicans.
Both Governor Gregoire and House
Majority Leader Rep. Lynn Kessler have said they support the 1
percent limit. Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown, D-Spokane,
and Margarita Prentice, D-Seattle, who chairs the Senate Ways
and Means Committee, have only said property taxes will be
addressed in the 2008 session.
Benton introduced a bill during the 2007 session
to enact the I-747 limit regardless of the outcome of the appeal
before the Washington Supreme Court.
The measure, SB 5001, was ignored by the Democrat
majority in the Senate.
After the ruling last week,
Benton pledged to fight the decision with another effort to
reinstate the 1 percent limit on state and local governments.
He said at the time that voters
made it clear on Nov. 6 that they have had enough when it comes
to taxes and spending.
“Property
taxes can be very hard on families,” Benton said. “Between all
the taxing districts, property taxes
can add up to a very
large bill that must be paid in two lump sums. It will be
devastating to many homeowners if we drag our feet and let local
governments collect their banked capacity.
"We have the
opportunity to act, the time to act and the meeting is already
set. All we need now is the will to
act!"
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Additional contact Penny Drost at (360) 786-7522
or
drost.penny@leg.wa.gov
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