OLYMPIA, Wash. — With five days left in the legislative session, one of two new tax proposals is still under consideration, according to state Democratic Rep. April Berg.
“That bill is absolutely still alive,” said Berg.
Berg’s bill would raise Washington state’s real estate excise tax for some home sellers. The bill would allow local jurisdictions to raise the rate paid by home sellers by .25 percent and the rate would be increased half a percentage point on the sale of homes worth more than $3.025 million.
The proceeds would support low-income and affordable housing.
“We need this because of homelessness,” said Berg. “We have an absolute crisis in all of our counties all over the state.”
Another tax proposal to allow cities and counties to raise the property tax appears dead for the year, according to Democratic Sen. Jamie Pedersen.
On Tuesday, Pedersen said there’s not enough time, and likely not enough support, to pass that bill before the session wraps up Sunday.
But he said he would explore it next year.
“Local governments have just been completely squeezed because property tax growth has been constrained to be well below both inflation and population growth,” said Pedersen.
Republican Senate Leader Sen. John Braun said he is concerned about any new tax discussions this late in the legislative session.
“Bad policy, bad timing to be considering it. After fourteen weeks, this is something we have to consider before we go home? I think it is wrong-headed,” said Braun.