Tim Eyman promotes new ballot initiatives to stop income tax, carbon tax
Nov 12, 2020, 5:05 AM | Updated: 4:55 pm
Anti-tax activist Tim Eyman. (Photo by Karen Ducey/Getty Images)
(Photo by Karen Ducey/Getty Images)
Tim Eyman announced that he is helping to promote two ballot initiatives to stop a state income tax and a carbon tax in Washington.
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Eyman, a longtime initiative activist, is predicting legislators will introduce bills on both an income and carbon tax next session.
“They’re not going to raise your car tabs 15 bucks, they’re not going to do this nibble around the edges stuff, they’re going for the holy grail of the Democratic party and that is the income tax and the carbon tax,” Eyman said.
“Income tax — huge money, billions of dollars. They’ve wanted it for decades — this is their chance, this is their window — and they have the opportunity to push it and get through because they have the votes,” he added.
He’s working with the political action committee Permanent Offense to get these initiatives on the ballot, which will stop the bills or, if they are passed, will force them to be overturned.
“Our political action committee, Permanent Offense, is going to be promoting these two initiatives next year and using them as a wall on the Democrats to make sure that they do not impose these taxes next year,” he said.
Eyman says voters have repeatedly turned down a state income tax and a carbon tax and will do it again.
“The advantage we have is we know an income tax is not well-received by voters. They rejected it nine different times,” Eyman said. “When it comes to the carbon tax, the voters have said no to it twice.”
Both initiatives would prohibit local governments in Washington from imposing an income tax or carbon tax.
Eyman previously sponsored I-976, which the Supreme Court of Washington State unanimously struck down in October, effectively overturning an initiative that would have slashed car tab fees statewide. In the wake of that ruling, he vowed to continue the battle, and recently filed a “Motion for Reconsideration” that is now before the court.
The KIRO Radio Newsdesk contributed to this report.
