Gregoire proposes new fuel tax to fund education (WA)

The Columbian ^ | December 18, 2012 | Rachel La Corte & Mike Baker - AP

[jazusamo]

OLYMPIA — Gov. Chris Gregoire proposed higher taxes on gas, soda, candy and gum Tuesday in order to avoid more government cuts and to help fund education in response to a court order.

In her final budget plan, Gregoire said a budget without new revenues would force the closure of state parks, eliminate food assistance programs and cause additional cuts in education.

[Baynative]

'Isn’t WA’s gas tax already the highest in the US? Liberals never have enough money from/control over us. They are never satisfied. They are despots." WA Ping

The first thing Gregoire did when she was elected in '04 was raise the gas tax. At that time it was to fix the roads and bridges. But, those projects have gone unfinished even though the tax hike went through. Now they want more money to waste and as usual, it's "for the children".

[jonrick46]

Remember when Queen Christine promised in 2004, in her bid for election, that she would not raise taxes in her first year of office? Dino Rossi, the GOP candidate, told Washington’s electorate not to believe her. True to her DemonRAT DNA she raised the gasoline tax by 9.5-cents-a-gallon at a time when gas prices were going up (Some people think that the nation’s increase in gas prices at that time precipitated the Housing Market Collapse). She also raised taxes on cigarettes, liquor, hospitals, and vehicles. She also re-established an estate tax after a previous version had been struck down by the courts.

To add to the insult, this new gas tax was to be spent primarily in King County—the hell with the rest of the state.

Did Gregoire’s new taxes help? Have they gone where they were promised? I have not found anything on the web to look at this subject. All we know is, with all this new revenue, why is Gregoire going after more of Washington’s citizen’s life’s blood?

[beelzepug]

I believe that WA law says that gas taxes can only be used for transportation purposes. That does NOT include education.

[zeestephen]

My first election in Seattle was 2004.

As I recall, there was a local initiative to extend the old World's Fair Monorail line several miles.

As I recall, that initiative failed.

However, the special tax to pay for the extension did pass.

The Monorail extension was canceled, but Seattle KEPT the tax that was supposed to pay for the project!

[clearcarbon]

How is it that some people are able to find the dollars for a good education no matter how many obstacles are thrown their way, while others are able to find the obstacles to a good education no matter how many dollars are thrown their way?

[Baynative]

"I believe that WA law says that gas taxes can only be used for transportation purposes."

What the law says and what the liberal legislature does are two different things. Under the guise of "appropriations" they transfer money wherever they want it at the moment depending on the political issue of the day.

[Baynative]

Down near Pioneer Square there is a city block that narrows at one end coming to a sort of a triangle where the streets converge. The property was owned by a Japanese family whose elder members were interned during WWII.

The city took their property using eminent domain claiming that they needed it for a construction yard for equipment and materials to be used on the Monorail extension. Of course, the property was never given back. I think the same thing happened to business owners along the proposed route extension.