OLYMPIA – State Representative Timm Ormsby (D-Spokane), chair of the House Appropriations Committee, released the following statement in response to the February Economic and Revenue Forecast:
“What we heard today is that this forecast provides temporary relief as we work to build a more structurally sustainable tax code. While challenging, last year’s revenue package was necessary to keep the lights on and ensure that families continue to have access to food, shelter, and health services provided by the state. This is essential due to the federal cuts to health care, food assistance, and more that we have seen due to H.R. 1 in the other Washington.
“As long as we continue to rely on sales, B&O, and property taxes for the bulk of our revenue, the state operating budget is going to struggle to maintain services for the people of Washington. Today’s forecast gives us the breathing room we desperately needed as we wrap up our work on our initial budget proposals and continue our efforts to build an adequate tax code that provides for education, child care, health care, and life-saving services in our state.”
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