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Washington State and Local Taxes on Groceries Initiative (2018)
| Washington State and Local Taxes on Groceries Initiative | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 6, 2018 | |
| Topic Taxes | |
| Status Not on the ballot | |
| Type State statute | Origin Citizens |
The Washington State and Local Taxes on Groceries Initiative (2018) was not on the ballot in Washington as an Initiative to the People, a type of initiated state statute, on November 6, 2018.
This measure would have exempted groceries including food, bottled water, carbonated beverages, soft drinks and their ingredients from sales and use taxes. The measure would have prohibited both state and local governments from imposing a sales and use tax on groceries. [1] [2]
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for this initiative is below:[2]
| “ |
Initiative Measure No. 1635 concerns taxation of groceries. This measure would prohibit state and local sales and use taxes on “groceries,” which is defined as including but not limited to “food, bottled water, carbonated beverages, and soft drinks including its ingredients.” Should this measure be enacted into law? Yes [ ] No [ ] [3] |
” |
Ballot summary
The ballot summary for this initiative is below:[2]
| “ |
State law currently exempts “food and food ingredients,” as defined, from sales and use taxes. This measure would prohibit state and local governments from imposing sales and use taxes “groceries,” which is defined as including but not limited to “food, bottled water, carbonated beverages, and soft drinks including its ingredients.” Alcoholic beverages, marijuana products, and tobacco would be excluded from the definition of “groceries."[3] |
” |
Full text
- The full text of the initiative is available here.
Path to the ballot
The state process
In Washington, the number of signatures required to qualify a directly initiated state statute—called an Initiative to the People in Washington—for the ballot is equal to 8 percent of the votes cast for the office of governor at the last regular gubernatorial election. Initial filings for direct initiatives cannot be made more than 10 months before the general election at which their proposal would be presented to voters. Signatures must be submitted at least four months prior to the general election.
The requirements to get an Initiative to the People certified for the 2018 ballot:
- Signatures: 259,622 valid signatures were required.
- Deadline: The deadline to submit signatures was July 6, 2018.
The secretary of state verifies the signatures using a random sample method. If the sample indicates that the measure has sufficient signatures, the measure is certified for the ballot. However, if the sample indicates that the measure has insufficient signatures, every signature is checked. Under Washington law, a random sample result may not invalidate a petition.
Details about this initiative
- Tim Eyman submitted this initiative on March 26, 2018.[2]
- Proponents of the initiative did not submit signatures to the secretary of state's office by the July 6, 2018, deadline and the measure was not put on the ballot.[4][2]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Washington secretary of state, "Initiative #1635 Text," accessed March 27, 2018
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Washington secretary of state, "Proposed Initiatives to the People - 2018," accessed March 27, 2018
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Ballotpedia Staff Writer, Email communication with Lydia Plukchi of the Washington Secretary of State's office, July 9, 2018.
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State of Washington Olympia (capital) |
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