House Finance Chair Reuven Carlyle issued the following statement on Governor Inslee’s budget and revenue proposal:
“The public expects us to effectively manage their tax dollars, and closing tax exemptions that may not provide the highest value for taxpayers and instead dedicating those dollars to public education is a critical part of that work.
We routinely scrub the budget for efficiencies and cuts, and we eliminate programs and services that are not performing effectively. In previous years, hundreds of millions in tax exemptions, credits and preferential rates have not been routinely subjected to that same rigorous financial scrutiny. That era is over.
Governor Inslee recommended closing some of these tax exemptions, and we will carefully consider his suggestions as part of the Legislature’s budget-writing process.
We strongly agree that fully funding public education is a higher priority than continuing tax exemptions that may not provide a reasonable return on investment for the future of our state.”