Inslee: Extend temporary tax, spend more on schools

Budget recommendations for the next two years from Gov. Jay Inslee call for the state to keep temporary tax increases on beer and some business services and spend an extra $1.2 billion on public schools. In a decision sure to draw criticism from his opponents that he was breaking a campaign pledge that he could balance the state budget and improve education without new taxes, Inslee said he would “choose education over tax breaks” and continue two taxes set to expire on June 30. One is a 50 cent per gallon tax on many beers; the other a three-tenths of 1 percent surcharge on the business and occupation tax paid by doctors, lawyers, accountants and some other professions. “We must do hard things. It’s the right thing to choose education over these tax breaks,” he said. For more details about the governor’s budget proposal, continue reading here.