SEATTLE, WA — Yesterday, former Member of Congress and current Spokesperson for Vote Yes Repeal the Income Tax, Jaime Herrera Beutler, held a press conference on Olympia’s unconstitutional income tax and the campaign to repeal it, laying out why she’s joined the fight and why she believes voters across the political spectrum are ready to say no to it this November.
Key quotes and highlights below:
On why she joined the fight
“I live in Clark County in Southwest Washington. I represented this area in Congress for more than a decade, and before that, I was a state legislator, so I got to serve in Olympia for a bit of time… I’m not moving to Texas or Idaho or Tennessee. Washington is where we call home because we love our way of life here. To me, it’s worth protecting… I want my kids to stay here, and I want future grandkids to stay here.”
This Is an Income Tax
“This tax is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. The goal is an income tax that applies irrespective of how much you make or how you earn your money. They’re coming for it.”
[…]
“Even if this happens tomorrow and they take this money from these ‘rich’ people, they will not have the amount of money they need. They don’t have any breaks on how they’re spending.”
[..]
“They don’t have to change a law to come for working-class family’s income. They literally just have to write it in, and they can do it.”
Olympia Has a Spending Problem, Not a Revenue Problem
“[Olympia’s] issue isn’t that money isn’t coming in. The issue is how much they’re spending, and how fast. There’s bipartisan consensus on this. Governors Chris Gregoire and Gary Locke have both said Olympia has a spending problem, not a revenue problem.”
[…]
“They’ve been spending almost 16% more every budget year for more than a decade now… They’re spending like teenagers with a new credit card, without understanding the limits.”
[…]
“Last year, they passed the largest tax increase in Washington state history. It’s not that they don’t have the money coming in. I’ve seen no one in Olympia willing to make a hard decision.”
Washington Voters Do Not Support This
“We are on the side of every Washingtonian – more than 60 percent – who doesn’t want an income tax.”
[…]
“This is not a partisan issue. We have Democrats, we have independents, and we have Republicans supporting this initiative.”
Media Inquiries: For all media inquiries, please contact Lee Keller at media@voteyes645.com.
