King County Local Voters Pamphlet

Nov. 2, 2004 General and Special Elections

ADVISORY MEASURE NO. 2
TAX SOURCE TO SUPPORT LOCALLY FUNDED
TRANSPORTATION PLAN

The King County Council passed Ordinance No. 14994 concerning an advisory measure on a locally funded transportation plan. This advisory measure asks which tax source the voters in King County would prefer be used to support a transportation plan designed to relieve traffic congestion and increase safety through a mix of road and transit projects in King County. This plan would require voter approval at a future date. Which one of the following tax sources would you prefer be included in a plan to locally fund road and transit projects in King County?

VOTE FOR ONE
a general sales tax
an excise tax on the value of motor vehicles
a flat tax on motor vehicles
an increase in the local gas tax
a tax on total annual vehicle miles traveled

Explanatory Statement

This is an advisory measure seeking voter input regarding the tax source for a locally funded transportation plan designed to relieve traffic congestion and increase safety through a mix of road and transit projects. The advisory measure asks voters which of the five following tax sources they would prefer be included in the transportation plan: 1) a general sales tax; 2) an excise tax on the value of motor vehicles; 3) a flat tax on motor vehicles; 4) an increase in the local gas tax; or 5) a tax on total annual vehicle miles traveled. This measure is advisory only. The result of the election on this measure will provide the King County Council with voter input, but approval of the measure does not legally require or authorize that such a tax be imposed. Voter approval at a future election would be needed to authorize any of the five types of taxes.

Statement for

Statement against

NO STATEMENT SUBMITTED.

This proposal is designed to bamboozle taxpayers into accepting – as our only alternatives – either tolerating gridlock created by elected officials’ refusals to comply with their statutory least-cost-planning duties for over a full decade or increasing taxes. A related ballot measure’s Opposition Statement documents this dichotomy to be false by identifying $661 billion in already-approved taxes, or more, available to resolve present congestion problems. Since this proposition’s purpose is inducing higher taxes – not seeking actual taxpayer preferences – voters are denied any “none-ofthe- above” choice.

Such government deviousness in not new. Geoffrey Chaucer wrote his famous “Complaint to his Purse,” over 600 years ago, when his royal pension proved inadequate to meet his financial needs, during his declining years, despite “good service rendered to the King” as author of his Canterbury Tales masterpiece. Sir Geoffrey’s “lyght” purse and “hevy chere” reflect the same dilemma, in 1399, facing many taxpayers here, currently, as King County’s repeated lack of financial discipline and its recurring waste of huge amounts of our tax dollars overwhelm fiscally responsible leaders today.

Anything except withholding your vote on King County’s sleightof- hand proposal to hike taxes – again – will only encourage further government wastefulness.

STATEMENT PREPARED BY: Will Knedlik

Updated: Oct. 8, 2004

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