Costello: The Man Behind The Tree

he Washington Democrats’ scheme to seduce the electorate into granting Olympia the power to afflict the state with an income tax is a stark reminder of why we should never trust them. While thrashing about for ideas on how best to close the state’s budget chasm, Senator Majority Leader Lisa Brown, D-Spokane, cooked up a quintessentially Democratic idea for having the citizenry give her the power to enact an income tax: Impose an income tax on evil rich people, while reducing the sales tax for everyone else. This conforms to the legendary Louisiana U.S. Sen. Russell B. Long’s definition of tax reform: “Don’t tax you. Don’t tax me. Tax that fellow behind the tree.” As a reward for granting politicians the power to impose an income tax, the great majority of Washingtonians would see tax relief for doing what Brown considers the right thing. It’s that guy behind that tree who will get stuck with the bill. The Washington state constitution just about forbids politicians from imposing an income tax and it certainly prohibits a plot such as Brown’s/ Mike Costello , Lewiston Tribune. More here .

Question: Should Washington adopt an state income tax to help balance its budget?