Dori: Why should the state’s newspapers get a tax bailout?

Economic times are tough for many in the news media. Small, locally-owned newspapers have been hit the hardest, many of which have folded in the last decade.

It’s why the Washington state Legislature is considering Senate Bill 5541 – a measure that would reduce the Business and Occupation tax on newspaper publishers from 0.35% to zero. This would cost the state about $1 million.

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The Dori Monson Show asked the bill’s primary sponsor, state Sen. Mark Mullet (D-Issaquah), why this is a priority.

“My district is east King County – I have Maple Valley, Issaquah, Snoqualmie,” Mullet explained. “I saw newspapers in all three of those cities vanish during my tenure in the Senate from 2021 to now. It was painful to watch.”

“We have a lot of family-owned newspapers in Washington,” Sen. Mullet continued. “If they sell to out-of-state people, you lose the benefits of family-owned papers.”

“Newspapers are a vital part of the public discourse,” Dori acknowledged, “but we also have a free market.”

“Why should we – the taxpayers – bail [newspapers] out versus other businesses?” Dori asked. “Why not news/talk radio stations?”

“That’s a good question,” Mullet responded.

It’s unclear how far this bill will get. Reports show Republicans on the Senate Business, Financial Services and Trade Committee seem lackluster about the proposal. And one senior Democrat, Sen. Bob Hasegawa (D-Seattle), is outright against it.

Sen. Hasegawa has voiced his opposition to the bill, citing a reluctance to support newspapers that make endorsements he disagrees with. The senator’s daughter, for example, was not endorsed by The Seattle Times during her recent campaign for Port of Seattle commissioner.

In the final minutes of their interview, Dori told Sen. Mullet how much he and his listeners appreciate the senator’s willingness to engage in amicable debate – including Mullet’s lone-wolf opposition to the state’s long-term care payroll tax, and his openness to “fix” police reform laws passed last session.

“I do think you’ve got to check your ego and be willing to admit, even if you voted for something, you might have made some mistakes,” Sen. Mullet said. “That’s where I’m at.”

“That,” Dori responded, “is an example of why I like you so much.”

Listen to Dori’s entire interview with state Sen. Mark Mullet:

Listen to Dori Monson weekday afternoons from noon – 3 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.