Gov. Jay Inslee today sent a letter to the Washington state congressional delegation urging them to reject the Republican tax proposals being rushed through Congress, which would cut taxes for corporations and the wealthy while raising taxes on middle-class families. The governor’s letter, and a 12-page memo that accompanied it, detailed a number of ways the tax plan would adversely impact Washington state.
“It is clear this plan will be damaging to Washington in numerous ways, including hiking taxes on middle-class families, exacerbating homelessness, harming workers’ retirement security, worsening student debt and more,” Inslee wrote. “The plan represents a massive giveaway to the wealthy and special interests, and it blows a $1.5 trillion hole in the federal budget.”
The governor’s letter pointed to provisions in the GOP tax plan that would: increase taxes on Washington’s working families by repealing the state and local tax deduction; exacerbate homelessness and threaten investments in transportation, ports infrastructure, college campuses and manufacturing facilities by eliminating tax-exempt bonds; harm the retirement security of teachers, firefighters and other public employees by newly subjecting public pensions plans to federal taxes; exacerbate student debt and undermine education by repealing the deduction for student loan interest and tuition assistance programs; and end incentives for businesses that hire veterans or invest in rural communities, among other concerns.
Republicans in Congress and President Trump are moving quickly to approve their tax plan before the end of the year, despite the proposals being made public less than two weeks ago. The House of Representatives is expected to vote on its version of the tax plan on Thursday, while the Senate is expected to vote on its bill the week after Thanksgiving.
“I am deeply troubled by what the final GOP tax plan will mean for workers, families and communities across Washington state, and I urge you in no uncertain terms to reconsider this partisan approach to tax reform,” Inslee’s letter continued. “This partisan plan does not reflect our state’s values, and it threatens our state’s economy. I urge you to reject this unfair and imbalanced proposal, engage meaningfully with state leaders from both sides of the aisle and commit to a bipartisan process that follows regular order.”