Mon, Jan 15, 2024

To: Our thousands of supporters throughout the state
(cc’d to the media, house & senate members, and Governor, and other candidates for office)

From: Tim Eyman
Fighting for Taxpayers for 27 years

This Thurs, Jan 18 @ 4pm, I’ll be in Olympia to testify in-person against Senate Bill 5770 that eliminates our 1% property tax cap.

100’s of you have already sent emails to all 147 House & Senate members telling them to OPPOSE this bill’s attack on our rights.

Now we need to multiply that impact by EVERYONE providing official testimony: in-person, on ZOOM, or in writing.

I made it easy. Here’s how to sign up:

1) click on this link here or here: https://app.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/

2) for Bill Number, type in 5770 and hit enter.

3) Then click on this box:

There will already be a check mark next to SB 5770

4) scan down and click on the type of testimony you’ll provide:

IN-PERSON — click on “I would like to testify in person” — fill out the information and hit “Submit Registration” (join me Thurs @ 3:45pm in hearing room 4 in the Cherberg Building in Olympia)

BY ZOOM — click on “I would like to testify remotely” — fill out the information and hit “Submit Registration” (they’ll email you a link that you’ll log into on Thursday).

Appearance matters — the more professional your clothes, the more seriously they’ll take your testimony (such things shouldn’t matter, but they do).

IN WRITING — click on “I would like to submit written testimony” — fill out the information and then include your written testimony. Feel free to copy and paste any portion of Saturday’s update reprinted below. Then hit “Submit Registration.

Democrats will inevitably try to pack the legislative record w/ supporters of taking away our 1% cap.

Working together, we can illustrate how overwhelmingly opposed the people are to this attack on this fundamental right which has protected taxpayers for the past 22 years.

Who can possibly support empowering state and local governments to automatically increase property taxes even more than they already do?

We know exactly who: politicians and the pigs at the trough.

But the people don’t.

And there’s a heckuvalot more of us than there are of them.

Help me stop bad bill because if it passes, senior citizens & working families will be badly hurt.

Again, for your testimony (in-person, ZOOM, or in writing), feel free to use any portion of the update below that you find compelling (or put it in your own words — tell ’em how you feel about this attack):

DON’T TAKE AWAY OUR 1% PROPERTY TAX CAP

Some background: In the 1990s, each government could increase property taxes up to 6% a year. State government raised property taxes 6 percent annually, so did counties, cities, ports, and fire and library districts. All those 6% increases compounded year after year, and property taxes skyrocketed.

And taxpayers suffered.

So we sponsored Initiative 747 in 2001, which limited each government’s regular property-tax levy to 1% a year — the only way to increase it more was by asking voters’ permission. And even though we were radically outspent by a well-organized opposition, voters in 37 of 39 counties approved the initiative with a whopping 58% yes vote. It was a huge victory for taxpayers.

Six years later, in a goofy 5-4 ruling, the state Supreme Court said voters were “misled” into voting for the initiative and struck it down.

Democrat Governor Chris Gregoire immediately called a special session and one month later the Democrat-dominated Legislature reinstated the 1% limit. A look back shows that 91% of House members (86-8) and 81% of state senators (39-9) voted yes.

And our Democrat governor signed it into law.

“As I did my town hall meetings around the state, I heard loud and clear from folks whose income has remained the same while the value of their home has skyrocketed. So even with the 1%, they fear they’re going to be taxed out of their home. And they talked eloquently and passionately about the American Dream and is it slipping away in America. And I said to them that we will do what we could to ensure in WA state the American Dream is alive and well, you can own your own home and stay in your own home and raise your family and retire. I want to thank you for giving some hope to these people that despite their incomes remaining the same, the skyrocketing price of houses, that in fact you were gonna make sure that they could not be taxed out of their homes. So thank you very much, I appreciate it. With that, I will sign the bill.”

I highlight this history because there’s a full-court press in Olympia to overturn this important protection this session. There’s a 4:00pm hearing next Thurs, Jan 18 in the Ways & Means committee on Senate Bill 5770 that takes away the cap on property tax increases.

The Legislature shouldn’t take away this critical protection from the people.

First off, all the arguments now being made against the 1% cap were made during the 2001 campaign, and voters rejected those arguments and approved the initiative by a massive margin.

And those same arguments were made again during the 2007 special session and the Democrat-controlled House, Senate and governor’s office rejected them and reinstated the protection by an even wider margin.

There’s been an overwhelming vote of the people and even a broader legislative vote to make the 1% cap the law.

It’s important to know that governments get property taxes from multiple sources. Every year, they get property tax revenue, as well as tax dollars from new construction, improvements, annexations, real estate excise taxes, property valuation increases and voter-approved levies. When added together, property taxes to government consistently rise faster than inflation.

But even that isn’t the whole story.

Governments get revenue not just from property taxes, but from many other taxes and fees as well. The fact is governments are taking plenty of money away from the taxpayers.

And if they want more, all they have to do is ask the voters’ permission.

Democrats want to go back to the “good old days” when state and local governments could jack up property taxes as much as they wanted without voter approval. That would be horrible for taxpayers.

But it’d be even worse for governments. Why?

The 1% cap is a gift compared to what the taxpayers really want — across-the-board property-tax reductions.

Property taxes continue to be a huge burden for struggling working families. Take away the 1%, and property taxes would skyrocket. And if that happens, governments would inevitably face a rebellious electorate eager to support an initiative like California’s Proposition 13 that cut and capped property taxes. Governments should consider themselves lucky that the 1% cap is in place.

The 1% limit has protected taxpayers for 22 years. It continues to have broad public support. Olympia shouldn’t take it away.

And here’s a short paragraph about it:

Don’t hurt working families and senior citizens by taking away the 1% property tax cap. Even with the cap, property taxes are still a huge burden. Taking it away will make property taxes skyrocket even more. And if governments want more money, this law simply requires them to ask the voters’ permission. The people overwhelmingly passed this protection and legislators and Gov. Gregoire overwhelmingly passed it too. For 22 years, taxpayers have counted on this protection. Don’t take it away. OPPOSE SB 5770 and any bills like it.

Is it any wonder that Bully Bob Ferguson is trying so hard to impose a lifetime ban on all my future political activity?

I urge you to support the Tim Eyman Legal Defense Fund so Richard can get the AG’s ridiculously unconstitutional ruling overturned.

Please make your most generous donation TODAY!

Mail your check to: 

Tim Eyman Legal Defense Fund
17404 Meridian Ave E #F PMB 176
Puyallup, WA, 98375

Or donate online:

By GiveSendGo (credit/debit card)
By Paypal (donate using PayPal or using a credit/debit card)

Thanks to your prayers, friendship, and support, I’ve been able to keep fighting.

I feel very fortunate to have friends like you in my corner.

I love you all.

Onward!

Tim

You can call or text me anytime: 509-991-5295

You can email me anytime here: Tim@TimDefense.com
(I can’t access any of my other email addresses — grrr!)

For more details on this, go to: TimDefense.com