Dear Friends and Neighbors,

People in Washington are currently struggling with a high tax burden, especially with the increases in the cost of living brought on by other government policies. But that’s not stopping Democrats from demanding new and higher taxes.

This week, Democrats in the Senate and House of Representatives are once again sponsoring bills to impose a “road-usage charge” on Washingtonians. Republicans have fought successfully for many years to avoid this regressive and heavily burdensome tax, more commonly known as the mileage tax or pay-per-mile tax.

We know it would disproportionately hurt those living in rural areas, families who need to commute or transport kids around to school and activities, and those who have no choice but to drive long distances.

Senate Bill 5726 (and House Bill 1921) would create a program to tax you 2.6 cents for every mile you drive, claiming it would be used solely for maintenance and the preservation of highways. However, that money would not be designated solely for transportation projects by the 18th Amendment to the Washington State Constitution. It could potentially be used for other purposes by future legislatures, unlike our gas-tax revenue.

But SB 5726 doesn’t stop with just the mileage charge. It would also impose a tax of 10% on the amount you pay for the mileage charge.

Yes, you read that right. It taxes the tax.

Let’s look at an example. On average, drivers in Washington put 13,500 to 16,500 miles per year on their cars. At 2.6 cents per mile, they would owe between $351 and $429. But with the additional 10% tax on that amount, they would actually owe $386.10 to $472.90. This would be in addition to the state gas tax, the federal gas tax, and the Climate Commitment Act charges you already pay.

Worse yet is that Democrats are also considering an increase in property taxes, an increase in the tax on receipts that businesses pay, and a “wealth” tax that, when implemented in other states, has actually hurt the economy and cost the residents family-wage jobs because the wealthy can easily move out of state.

We saw this happen when the Democrats imposed the income tax on capital gains here in Washington. Innovators such as Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos moved out of state and other businesses decided not to locate here.

A recent poll showed 77% of Washingtonians do not want new or higher taxes this year. Most of them also believe they will end up bearing the cost of new and higher taxes through increased prices and fewer jobs.

Republicans have proposed ways to reduce state spending and avoid raising taxes to cover the deficit that chronic overspending has created. The plan is called $ave Washington. I encourage you to watch our website for more information on the budget, the deficit and the taxes Democrats are supporting – all of which we are fighting against.

Sincerely,

Sen. John Braun

 

 

WATCH: My weekly legislative video update

In this week’s episode of my legislative update video, I talk about how my bill to help with overcrowding at juvenile justice facilities such as The Green Hill School was passed in the Senate. I also talk about the bill to reform the governor’s emergency powers, which you can testify on next week. And, I talk about the ongoing effort to fund the hiring of additional law enforcement officers and the plan to change the culture in policing.

 

 

Bad bill: Redesigning our state flag

Claiming that the Washington state flag is poorly designed and no longer relevant to our state’s identity, a House Democrat has proposed a bill to create a committee to redesign the flag by July 1, 2028.

House Bill 1938 further disparages the current flag, calling it an outdated and uninspired failure. It also says that while George Washington is a significant historical figure, he has little connection to the state of Washington and having his likeness on the flag is less meaningful and hard to reproduce.

SB 1938 would create a committee to lead the redesign process. The committee would include legislators, the Secretary of State, a historian, tribal representatives, regional representatives, designers, and someone from the Washington State Arts Commission.

The committee would be tasked to, “Develop and adopt a new design for the official state flag that accurately and respectfully reflects Washington’s shared history, resources, and diverse cultural communities.”

SB 1938 also would require the issue to be voted on by the people through a referendum to find out if the public supports a redesign at all. That’s right: Democrats would let you vote on something like this, but not on their efforts to undermine the Parents’ Rights Act. When Republicans proposed an amendment to SB 5181 that would allow for a voter referendum, Democrats flatly refused.

Washington’s flag has represented our state for over a century, and the idea that honoring George Washington is somehow outdated is absurd. While I’m glad the people would ultimately have a say through a referendum, if this utterly unnecessary bill actually becomes law, this seems like nothing more than political pandering, not the actions of people who are serious about solving problems.

Instead of spending time and resources on redesigning a flag, Democrats should be joining us to focus on the real issues affecting Washingtonians—like affordability, public safety, and education.

 

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT IT?

Share your thoughts on this bill with my office.