“Regular people” will share personal impacts of bill
to remove cap from annual property tax growth rate
OLYMPIA — The Washington State Senate Republican Caucus will hold a news conference to oppose continued efforts by majority Democrats to eliminate the 1% cap on the annual growth of state and local property taxes. Community members impacted by this proposal will join the event to share personal stories about how this tax increase would affect them.
9 a.m., Wednesday, April 9
Senate Rules Room
2nd floor of the Legislative Building
Capitol Campus in Olympia
(Just inside the Lt. Governor’s office)
When Senate Bill 5798 received a hearing in the Senate budget committee on March 31, more than 43,680 people signed in to oppose it—the highest number of sign-ins for any bill in the history of the Washington State Legislature. Despite this overwhelming public outcry, Democrats have continued to advance the measure. They have also blocked the public and press from viewing final budget negotiations, but one can speculate that this regressive property tax increase is being discussed between the House and Senate.
Recently, Gov. Bob Ferguson ruled out including a tax on unrealized capital gains—such as stocks and bonds—in the final budget, stating he would not sign any plan that contains it. He also outlined several criteria that must be met for the final proposal to earn his signature. Of the three operating budgets introduced this year, only the Senate Republicans’ $ave Washington budget meets all of the governor’s conditions. It balances the budget without raising taxes or cutting essential services.
SB 5798 would place an unnecessary burden on homeowners, renters, and small business owners across Washington. It’s a highly regressive tax that would disproportionately harm lower-income families and further undermine efforts to expand affordable housing.
If this policy had been in place over the past 10 years, it would have added an additional $9,000 to the property tax bill for a $500,000 home. For just this year, the average Washingtonian would have seen a $2,000 increase.
Sen. John Braun, R-20
From Senate Republican Leader John Braun, Centralia:
“Democrats are pushing a property tax hike that Washingtonians hate —and they’re doing it behind closed doors, ignoring a tremendous outcry from the public. More than 43,000 people signed in to oppose this bill, the most in our state’s legislative history. Eliminating the 1% cap will cost homeowners and renters $16 billion over the next 10 years, all while families are already stretched thin. It’s not even the only tax that will threaten their way of life. This isn’t about fixing a revenue problem—it’s about backfilling a multi-billion-dollar budget shortfall directly caused by overspending by the Democrat majority. Washington deserves a government that lives within its means and puts working families first.”
Sen. Keith Goehner, R-12
From Sen. Keith Goehner, Dryden, ranking member on the Senate Housing Committee:
“Raising property taxes is a problem-focused policy at a time when we should be focused on solutions. eliminating the property tax cap will drive up costs for builders, slow new construction, and make home prices even less affordable. It discourages home sales, burdens buyers, and could push more families into housing insecurity. We should be encouraging housing growth, not punishing it with higher taxes. This bill undercuts efforts to solve our housing crisis and makes it harder for people to achieve homeownership.”
Sen. Chris Gildon, R-25
From Sen. Chris Gildon, Puyallup, ranking member on the Senate Ways & Means Committee:
“Washington voters created the 1% cap so they could control the growth of property taxes. Democrats want to take that away. The majority talks about making the wealthy pay more — but this targets all renters and property owners, regardless of income level. If this policy had been in place for the past decade, the rate increases would have compounded so much that the average Washington homeowner’s property taxes would be $2,000 higher this year — and over 75% of the higher cost would fall on homeowners and renters, going forward. The truth is, state government doesn’t need to raise anyone’s property taxes, or increase any other tax. Our $ave Washington budget is proof of that. It also wouldn’t cut any services, and is the only budget on the table that meets every one of the governor’s budget criteria.”
Sen. Nikki Torres, R-15
From Sen. Nikki Torres, Pasco, assistant ranking member on the Senate Ways & Means Committee:
“This proposed property tax increase is deeply concerning, not just for homeowners, but for renters and our most vulnerable communities. It’s a regressive approach that hits low-income families the hardest, and it’s ironic to see Democrats pushing so aggressively for it. We’re talking about people being priced out of their homes, with nowhere else to go and no affordable alternatives. This is not how we support working families in Washington.”
