Court rejects Brown’s tax-hike fight
Senator says I-960 violates state constitution
OLYMPIA – Declining to wade into a Senate dispute, Washington’s highest court Thursday rejected Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown’s challenge to an anti-tax ballot measure.
The unanimous ruling leaves in place a high hurdle for lawmakers who want to increase taxes, but Brown and other lawmakers say they probably would have sent any major tax hikes to voters anyway.
Thursday’s decision leaves them little choice.
Voters in 2007 approved Initiative 960, a Tim Eyman ballot measure that reaffirmed a controversial requirement for a two-thirds vote by lawmakers to approve a tax increase. I-960 said of lawmakers couldn’t get two-thirds approval, they’d have to send the proposal to voters.
The test case came last year, when the Senate voted 25 to 21 to re-enact an expired liquor tax. Lt. Gov Brad Owen ruled that the measure hadn’t gotten the needed two-thirds vote. Brown went to court.