High costs of anti-tax addiction

Tim Eyman, our anti-tax initiative addict, claims to have “saved taxpayers over $11 billion so far” over his ten year career.

His claims, like his website, are permanently offensive.

Eyman’s latest initiative, I-985, which redirects the taxes paid on vehicle sales, will almost certainly cost taxpayers – and may even bump the state budget over the red line into a deficit.

Chris Mulick at the Tri-City Herald has the story.

How many of Eyman’s other initiatives have ended up costing the state? If the state budget office looked at the long-term net Eyman effect, would it balance out?

We very much doubt it.

The recent failures of the state ferry system, with its aged boats and interruptions in service, can be directly traced to Eyman’s car tabs initiative. Poor student performance and inequalities between school districts across the state can be linked to property taxes and Eyman-imposed limits.

The short-term savings of any Eyman initiative are miniscule compared to the long-term, widespread costs – to taxpayers personally and to the well-educated and economically balanced state that we want Washington to be.

Eyman is an egotist, nothing more, and Washingtonians ought to stop voting for his vanity. Voters do want more choices – they want the choice of anything other than Eyman.