Washington lawmakers consider permanent extension of temporary stadium taxes

Lawmakers in Washington are about to prove the old adage that there is no such thing as a temporary tax. They are on the verge of reauthorizing several taxes that, if left alone, would expire next year. Rep. Tina Orwall introduced HB 1997 to remove the expiration date on several temporary taxes imposed by the Legislature in 1995 to build the Seattle Mariner’s baseball stadium. The Legislature approved these taxes despite voter rejection of a ballot measure to provide public funding for the stadium. They also used an emergency clause on the tax proposal to deny the voters an opportunity to reject the taxes --- again. At the time lawmakers promised the public these taxes would be temporary. . . READ MORE