Election law changes? Our legislation tracker’s got you. Check it out!

Washington Property Tax Decrease Initiative (2017)

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Washington
Property Tax Decrease Initiative
Flag of Washington.png
Election date
November 7, 2017
Topic
Taxes
Status
Not on the ballot
Type
State statute
Origin
Citizens

The Washington Property Tax Decrease Initiative was not on the ballot in Washington as an Initiative to the People, a type of initiated state statute, on November 7, 2017.

The measure would have decreased property tax levies 25 percent in 2018 and limited future property tax increases to one percent per year unless a greater increase is approved by voters.[1]

Tim Eyman developed the initiative.

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title was:[1]

Initiative Measure No. 1550 concerns state and local property taxes.

This measure would annually set regular property tax levies, except voter-approved levies, at 25% below the amount otherwise allowed; limit property tax increases to 1% unless voter-approved; and eliminate certain personal property taxes.

Should this measure be enacted into law? Yes [ ] No [ ][2]

Ballot summary

The ballot summary is:[1]

This measure would, starting in 2018, annually set regular property tax levies that have not been voter-approved at 25 percent below the amount otherwise allowed; require voter approval at a general election to exceed the existing one-percent limit on annual property tax increases; eliminate an exception to the one-percent limit that could apply where previously-imposed increases were less than one percent; and eliminate personal property tax on items where sales or use tax was paid.[2]

Full text

The full text of the measure is available here.

Support

Tim Eyman, Leo J. Fagan, and M.J. Fagan sponsored the initiative's filing.[1]

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing the initiative process in Washington

In Washington, the signature requirement for Initiatives to the People is equivalent to 8 percent of the votes cast for the office of governor at the last gubernatorial election.

To make the 2017 ballot, proponents of Initiatives to the People were required to submit at least 259,622 valid signatures by July 7, 2017.[3] No signatures were turned in for the initiative by the deadline.[4]

Sponsors of the measure originally proposed it as an Initiative to the Legislature, but failed to submit a sufficient number of valid signatures by the deadline on December 30, 2016.[5]

See also

Footnotes

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Washington Secretary of State, "Proposed Initiatives to the People - 2017," accessed January 11, 2017
  2. 2.0 2.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  3. Washington Secretary of State, "Elections Calendar - 2016," accessed January 10, 2017
  4. Northwest Public Radio, “Election Rarity: No Initiatives Qualify For November Statewide Ballot In Washington,” July 7, 2017
  5. Ballotpedia staff, "E-mail with Washington secretary of state's office," January 3, 2016