I-732 is best option

Where’s the mention of I-732’s sales tax cut? Until several paragraphs in, your Oct. 3 article leaves the impression that Washington’s carbon tax initiative adds to taxes, when its main feature is that it cuts the sales tax by a full percentage point, along with funding low-income tax rebates and eliminating the B&O tax on manufacturers like Kaiser Aluminum.

In fact, Kaiser should love this measure. The alternative to I-732 is high and rising cap-and-trade fees such as California’s, which slam major point-source polluters like Kaiser. Instead, I-732 spreads the tax burden to include transportation, our state’s largest source of emissions.

Why not follow the success of British Columbia, which swapped tax cuts for a carbon tax eight years ago and now leads Canada in both economic growth and carbon pollution reduction?

Washington will thrive in the clean economy ahead. Cutting our high sales tax and funding the Working Families Rebate will boost our economy as well, especially in Spokane, where one in five families qualify for the rebate. It’s the easiest way to fight climate change, which is why I’ll vote “yes” on I-732.

David Camp

Spokane