Sen. Schoesler on carbon tax, Gov. Inslee 2020, and Ferguson’s politics

After the Washington, D.C.-based Cato Institute named Gov. Jay Inslee as the worst governor in the nation for taxes and spending, one Eastern Washington legislator is sure that the 2019 legislative session will only bring more tax proposals from the governor.

During his six years in office, Gov. Inslee has repeatedly pushed for a carbon tax, added multiple tax increases — such as a gas tax and taxes on business — and now wants to up the business and occupation tax, as well as add a capital gains tax.

Sen. Mark Schoesler (R-Ritzville) of the 9th Legislative District told KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson that he predicts the carbon tax in Initiative 1631, which has been much hailed by Gov. Inslee, will ultimately fail on next month’s ballot.

RELATED: Why you should vote no on the carbon tax

“The governor endorses the carbon tax, but it does not do one thing for running state government,” Schoesler said. “It is only for well-heeled special interests that will be basically unaccountable.”

States in the Midwest, such as Indiana, Schoesler said, rely mainly on polluters such as coal for energy. In comparison, Washington is “77-percent hydro-power,” Schoesler said, and does not deserve the punishment of a carbon tax.

“We’re treated as if we were Indiana, or the country of India,” Schoesler said.

Although he sees the carbon tax failing, Schoesler expects discussion of new taxes when he returns to Olympia next year.

“I’m going to make a bold prediction that Governor Inslee goes seven for seven in approving and promoting newer and higher taxes when we get to Olympia in January,” he said.

RELATED: Inslee for president in 2020?

In other predictions, Schoesler believes that Gov. Inslee has his eye on a run for the presidency in 2020.

“I’ve gotten plenty of his emails and see him in Iowa, so I think right now he’s running,” Schoesler said.

As for Inslee’s right-hand man, Attorney General Bob Ferguson, Schoesler has some major questions. Schoesler said that his office has asked Ferguson where the money to sue the federal government over and over again comes from.

“I’ve posed the question repeatedly to Attorney General Ferguson, ‘Where are you getting the money for this?'” he said. “And we’ve been told that people are more than willing to donate their time. But yet, every other segment of government pays for assisting the attorney general to provide legal counsel on a regular basis.”

Schoesler, a lifelong Washington resident, said that he has never before seen such a one-sided state attorney general.

“This is the most politicized point in the career of any AG in my lifetime,” he said. “And I don’t think it serves the taxpayers well, to have their chief legal counsel politicized when it shouldn’t be politicized.”