A large share of that money had been earmarked for support of cities, counties and transit. The Legislature replaced about a third of the money lost by cities and counties and transit got some one-time assistance. The tax-rollback provision seems to reflect Eyman's personal petulance and would cause major disruption in the affected jurisdictions, but the most damaging part of the initiative is the tax limit, says Liz Pierini, president of the League of Women Voters of Washington. Wealthy property owners will save proportionately much more than a poor person who lives in property that isn't appreciating, she and other critics say. We really like the system we have now.
Property taxes are always too high, but our feeling is they are fairly assessed right now.
He says the Legislature should continue to grapple with the issue, dealing particularly with the needs of seniors and low-income families. Eyman rejects those arguments. All we do is limit the increases. If local governments need more money, they can go to the voters and ask permission for other tax increases. But the automatic flow of money they have had in the past needs to be justified to the people who pay the bills, the taxpayers.