‘A budget that relied only on cuts would set us backward’: WA Democrat defends tax increases
Apr 1, 2025, 12:00 PM
A photo of Democratic Senator June Robinson, the lead senate budget writer superimposed over a photo of the Washington State seal. (Photo courtesy of Washington Senate Democrats and Republicans)
(Photo courtesy of Washington Senate Democrats and Republicans)
The Washington Senate approved a $78.5 billion operating budget plan that targets the state’s wealthiest residents and biggest employers with a payroll tax, while raising property taxes on everyone else. It also borrows from the rainy day fund. Democrats say it’s necessary to protect essential services. Critics are concerned this budget plan will drive up costs for working families.
“A budget that relied only on cuts and reductions would just really set us backward as a state,” Democratic Senator June Robinson, the lead senate budget writer, said on “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. “It would be harmful to people, but it would also be very challenging for years to come to grow out of that. So we approached this problem by looking at a balance.”
According to Robinson, the budget totaled $6.5 billion in cuts over the next four years, including reducing funds for early learning and child care services and the Washington College Grant, while also furloughing state employees.
“We did add revenue to fill in the rest,” Robinson said. “So the revenue proposals are intended to ask the wealthiest people in Washington to pay a little bit more, and also the largest corporations.”
Democrats say they intend to lower the state’s sales tax from 6.5% to 6% to provide relief to Washingtonians.
How the taxes in the state budget plan will work
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Robinson said through an intangible property tax, approximately 4,000 of the wealthiest Washingtonians would be affected. Additionally, roughly 5,000 businesses would be affected by the 5% payroll tax for compensation above the Social Security threshold, also embedded in the budget plan.
“Is there a backup plan if we do not make the money that is projected here?” Charlie Harger, host of “Seattle’s Morning News,” asked Robinson.
“We certainly do have backup plans, and we’re talking about those,” Robinson answered. “We’ll be talking about that throughout the rest of the session.”
Harger noted that the Seattle payroll tax was projected to bring in $47 million more than it did in 2024. Mayor Bruce Harrell said the tax prompted businesses to move jobs out of the city.
Listen to “Seattle’s Morning News” with Charlie Harger weekday mornings from 5-9 a.m. on KIRO Newsradio. Subscribe to the podcast here.
