Olympia lawmakers propose sales tax increase

House Democrats have put together a bill to boost the state sales tax by 3/10 of 1 percent. It begins: An unprecedented shortfall in state general fund revenues has threatened the state’s ability to fund vital health services and has harmed working families. For this reason, the legislature is asking the voters to approve temporary tax increases in order to fund health care and to support working families during this time of revenue shortfalls. The bill would only take effect if approved by voters in November. It would set up a new “health care trust account” in the state treasury. Most of the money raised from the increase in sales tax would go into that fund to pay for the state’s health coverage for poor families, public health services, health care, mental health care, hospitals and nursing homes. For more on this developing story, please see our state political blog: www.eyeonolympia.com.