Snohomish County voters to decide on local Public Safety Sales Tax measure in Nov. 5th general election
This year’s General Election on November 5th presents an opportunity for Snohomish County voters to weigh in on Proposition 1, a public safety sales tax. Ballots will be hitting your mailbox now, and the last day to return your ballot is November 5th.
Proposition 1 would increase the sales tax rate throughout Snohomish County by 0.2%, bringing $40 million in additional tax revenue annually. Many parts of Snohomish County already have the highest sales tax rate in all of Washington State and on the entire West Coast of the U.S. This sales tax increase would add a heavy burden to businesses and consumers who are already overtaxed. If adopted, 40% of the funding would be divided amongst Snohomish County cities by population and the remaining 60% would go to the county for criminal justice and social services programs.
While public safety is a critical function of government, existing funding ought to be prioritized to ensure our criminal justice system is adequately resourced. Immediately resorting to a tax increase before looking at alternative options is not good government.
BE SURE TO ALWAYS PAY ATTENTION WHEN VOTING ON BALLOT INITIATIVES AS IT CAN SOMETIMES BE CONFUSING WHETHER YOU SHOULD VOTE “YES” OR “NO” BASED ON THE LANGUAGE OF THE MEASURE.
IN THIS CASE, WE ARE RECOMMENDING YOU VOTE “NO” ON THE UNNECESSARY LOCAL SALES TAX INCREASE IN SNOHOMISH COUNTY PROP. 1.