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Washington state Democrats appear to have accidentally emailed their broad revenue plans and internal talking points on tax hikes to the entire upper house in Olympia, Fox News has learned.
Increase in property tax and a new double-digit tax on firearms are among the proposals Washington state Democrats are considering, according to materials originally released to all members by Washington Senate Deputy Floor Leader Noel Frame , D-Seattle, in late December and later obtained by Fox News Digital.
Included in the messages was a document titled “Revenue Options 2025” and a PowerPoint presentation outlining how to speak to voters in defense of the plan.
The document lists the proposed figures for an 11% tax. ammunition and firearmsreclassifying storage unit rentals as a retail transaction and an increase in the property tax rate for certain Washington residents.
A PowerPoint slide, highlighted by Seattle radio host Jason Rantz, described the “Best Way to Talk About Taxes” — with a do’s and don’ts chart for lawmakers.
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Say, “Pay what they owe,” but don’t say, “Tax the rich” or “pay their fair share” because “taxes are not punishment,” the graphic said.
He also suggested using the terms “fund,” “provide,” and “ensure” when describing the apparent benefits of tax increases, rather than the term “invest in (X).”
“Avoid focusing on tax or talking in vague terms of ‘economy’ or ‘education’.”
One of the new proposals is that of a “tax on the ownership of capital goods”.
It is described as similar to property taxesbut instead would extend the real estate tax to shares, bonds and other financial instruments.
“We can ensure that extremely wealthy Washingtonians are taxed on their assets just as middle-class families are already taxed on theirs,” the slide reads.
Another line directs lawmakers to “identify the bad guy” that is blocking “progress” and lay out “how we can take action to solve the problem.”
“We have a backwards tax code that benefits big corporations and the richest few, that was written 100 years ago and is in desperate need of an update for the 21st century. If guarantee the richest salary in Washington what they actually owe in taxes, the rest of us will get what we need, like affordable health care, housing and food.”
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Rantz said in a column for MyNorthwest.com that the accidentally shared plans present a “direct contradiction” to promises made by Democrats during the election cycle and set a total of 10 new taxes on residents.
“These proposals come at a time when the state has seen years of record revenues,” Rantz said, claiming some of the “tax schemes” may also be unconstitutional.
He added that capital gains taxes actually discourage growth and potentially lead to reduced job opportunities for the very workers that Democrats in favor of the tax claim to help.
One example he presented was the departure of Amazon founder Jeffrey Bezos Washington State. By making his new home in Florida, one of America’s richest men saved an estimated $1 billion in taxes that will no longer be used to fund programs in the Evergreen State.
Rantz added that Washington state’s Democratic electorate often decries the affordability crisis, but then re-elects the same politicians who exacerbate it.
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The Seattle Space Needle. (View Images/Hufton+Crow/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Also, as Democratic Gov.-elect Robert Ferguson takes office later this month, state Rep. Travis Couture, R-Allyn, criticized the outgoing. Governor Jay Inslee 2025 budget proposal.
“This budget is not a serious proposal,” said Couture, the top Republican on the House budget panel.
“Our state has a spending problem, not a revenue problem,” he said.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Frame for comment, but did not hear back by the time of publication.
