Governor Inslee can’t guarantee more taxes aren’t on the way

The Jay Inslee of yesteryear might not get along with the Jay Inslee of today.

With the Legislature &#8212 finally &#8212 reaching a compromise on the state’s operating budget in June, things are a bit more stable, Inslee told KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson.

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“I think the good news is there wasn’t gridlock,” Inslee said. “I think it’s a success.”

Inslee described it as a “good session.” There’s job creation and the economy is quickly improving.

Well if things with our state’s government are so good, shouldn’t Inslee be able to make a guarantee he promised back when he was campaigning? That guarantee, of course, is no new tax increases.

“We’re going to look for economic growth that will hopefully solve our problems like it did this year,” Inslee told Dori. “But we have another several billion dollars we have to figure out how to generate.”

The state’s Supreme Court continues to hold the state in contempt for failing to fully fund education.

“I’m not going to take pledges, except to do my constitutional duty, which includes finding a way to generate several billion dollars …” Inslee continued.

So the short answer is: Inslee will not pledge to not raise taxes.

However, he did say the Republican’s proposal to raise property taxes for half the residents of Washington is not the answer to the state’s financial woes. What steps are taken to allow the state to fully fund education will depend on how quickly the economy grows, Inslee said.