Rep. Drew Stokesbary, (R-Auburn, 31st LD) ranking Republican on the House Appropriations Committee, released a statement Sunday evening following the Legislature’s passage of the 2021-23 operating budget:
“Unfortunately, I can only restate all of my prior objections. The 2021-23 operating budget raises taxes for the sake of raising taxes. We could fund everything in this budget with existing tax revenue, yet the majority party is choosing to impose a capital gains tax to score political points. We know taxing innovators and investors will ultimately drive jobs and opportunities to other states – jobs that Washington families need.
“At a time when we are collecting record tax revenue and sitting on billions in federal stimulus funds, this Legislature is choosing to impose a number of regressive policies that will raise the price of household necessities like cell phones and gasoline. I worked hard to ensure the Working Families Tax Exemption was funded for the first time in history, only to see all of that hard-won tax relief offset by these new costs.
“This budget will make our state less competitive, make our revenue less predictable, and ultimately hurt working families across the state.”
The above is a press release from Rep. Drew Stokesbary. The Auburn Examiner has not independently verified its contents and encourages our readers to personally verify any information they find may be overly biased or questionable. The publication of this press release does not indicate an endorsement of its content.