Stop new tax before it gains traction

Gov. Inslee has floated another tax scheme, a capital gains tax. We need to harpoon this floater before it spots land.

This is just another Democrat attempt at circumventing the no income tax law. If you own a piece of land, a house, a mutual fund, a company pension plan, a company stock-sharing plan or buy and sell stocks on your own, this law will hit you in the pocketbook.

Apparently, Inslee doesn’t see these things as income. I tell him to ask any retired person if they consider it income. Their answer would be yes. This is what many of them live on.

What’s the governor’s next trick pony — to consider dividends and interest as non-income? After that, he can go after pension-plan payouts, even Social Security. These aren’t technically income.

Retired persons live on stock-gains, mutual funds, interest, dividends, pension disbursements, gains on selling their too-big house and Social Security. All of these are income to them. All are fair game to Democrats.

The article goes on to say there is a $2 billion budget shortfall. Typical of Democrats, there is not a whisper of cutting the budget to solve this. Tax and spend is their only answer, same as pre-2008. Give me the budget and a red pen. I’ll find the cuts in one day.

We hear the same mantra each budget cycle: Schools will suffer. That’s a cheap, Democrat trick to pluck emotional strings. Are schools the last thing on the list to be funded? Here’s a novel suggestion, fund schools first. Then start cutting everything else.

When will Democrats learn that this state does not want an income tax? Attempts at skirting what is income just makes us angry and more untrusting of politicians. Because Democrats think we’re all stupid, here’s a definition of income we will accept: If an employee receives it as pay, it’s income. If a retired person uses it to live on, it’s income. If we sell an asset, it’s income.

I’m sure Democrats’ minds are awhirl, looking for the loophole in these definitions.

Mark Farrell

Arlington