NEWSFLASH – Special Edition: Strong opposition from Senators and average Washingtonians against property tax increase

Apr 9, 2025

Compelling stories about how SB 5798 will hurt real people

SRC Budget Press Conference, April 9, 2025.

We had a very successful news conference this morning to oppose Senate Bill 5798, which would remove the 1% cap on the annual allowable growth rate by which state and local governments can increase your property taxes without voter approval.

Watch the full news conference

Guest Speakers

Members of the community who would experience drastic consequences if the bill is enacted into law shared their personal stories. Their testimony is worth listening to. If you don’t have time to watch the entire news conference, you can choose to listen to individual clips (provided below).

Marie Gofigan spoke about how she worked for years to pay off the back property taxes on the home once owned by her mother who has passed away. If SB 5798 is enacted, she will lose her family home despite all that effort. Her child lives in her home because they can’t afford one of their own. Both would be forced out under SB 5798.
Bill and Alice Wells own several rental properties in the low-income market. They have absorbed other increases in costs, including property taxes, so they wouldn’t have to raise the rent on people who could easily become homeless. They won’t be able to absorb the increases to their property taxes that will happen if the 1% cap is removed. Homelessness will get worse.
Dakota Manley shared his experience as a renter who has had to move because he couldn’t afford the increases in his rent that resulted from property tax increases in the past.
Anthony Mixer pointed out bills in the House of Representatives that would increase property taxes as well, but emphasizes that SB 5798 is much worse and has widespread, strong opposition. He isn’t sure he’ll be able to afford to buy his first home now.
Sue Wise, a realtor with ReMax Northwest, spoke about how SB 5798 will devastate the housing market in Washington. First-time homebuyers will not be able to buy a home and those who have recently purchased their first home may lose it.
Gina Carlson spoke about how SB 5798 will cause a chilling effect on the building industry…fewer homes will be built. Less inventory will drive up costs, making housing less affordable during an affordable housing crisis. She says that people who are paying taxes and contributing to society will become users of the state services they currently help fund.
James Fisher is a realtor from Tacoma. He described how his elderly clients are very fearful that they will be forced to sell their homes and that SB 5798 will eat into any money they have set aside to live on in their retirement.

Senators

In addition to these community members, several Republican Senators also spoke. Those who attended, but did not get a chance to speak, recorded video messages about the bill. Clips are listed below.

Facts to remember about SB 5798

Under current law, state and local governments could increase your property taxes more than 1% a year if they need more money, BUT THEY’D HAVE TO GET VOTER APPROVAL.
SB 5798 takes away YOUR CONTROL over how much your property taxes increase every year.
The increase compounds annually, taking a bigger bite out of your wallet every year.
Over the next 10 years, it will cost you $16 billion.
This would result in the largest property tax increase in state history.
Had SB 5798 been in effect over the past decade, the owner of a $500,000 home would have paid $9,000 more in property taxes. In this year alone, they would have seen a $2,000 increase.
Had SB 5798 been in effect for the past 10 years, we could have suffered a 10.05% increase IN A SINGLE YEAR without voter approval.
SB 5798 is regressive — it hurts lower income families and individuals the most.