OLYMPIA…More than 43,000 people have signed in to oppose Senate Bill 5978, a proposal that would drastically raise property taxes — more than four times the opposition received for any previous bill to receive a public hearing in the Senate.

SB 5978 is scheduled for a hearing today at 4 p.m. in the Senate Ways and Means Committee. The proposal has already proven to be wildly unpopular, despite receiving little media coverage.

If passed, SB 5978 would eliminate the current 1% cap on annual property-tax increases by state and local governments without requiring voter approval. Future rate increases would be tied to inflation and population growth, potentially raising property taxes by 8% to 9% annually.

Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, offered this reaction:

“I haven’t heard a single property owner or renter say they want to pay more in taxes on their home. I’m encouraged by the overwhelming opposition to this latest attempt by the Democrats to raise property taxes. We’ve worked hard to educate the public about Senate Bill 5978, and the response has been clear: people do not want the property-tax rate to grow beyond 1% a year without their say. They have good reason to feel that way. If this tax had been in effect for the past decade, property taxes would be 50% higher today. There’s a reason Washington voters supported the 1% cap nearly 25 years ago — to keep government accountable to voters. If cities and counties need more money to provide critical services than the current cap allows, they should make their case directly to the people, as the law permits.

“What’s odd is the lack of media coverage on this bill. I can understand why Democrats might not want to draw attention to it, because it completely contradicts the claim that they’re making the wealthy pay more, but the public has a right to know. It’s puzzling that the media is not doing more to inform people about a policy that could have such a significant, detrimental impact on people across Washington, regardless of their income.

“To make matters worse, Senate Bill 5978 contains a provision that strips citizens of their right to repealing the bill through a referendum. While an initiative would still be an option, it requires gathering twice as many signatures to qualify for the ballot. Even if the media isn’t interested in the size of this tax increase, then at least report on how this bill repeatedly undermines the will of the voters.”

Watch Sen. Braun share his concerns about the Democrat property tax increase.