Overview
5 min (12:00-12:05) Introductions and updates.
5 min (12:05-12:10) WCI update.
20 min (12:10-12:30) Legislative work.
20 min (12:30-12:50) Ballot measure work.
5 min (12:50-12:55) Next steps.
12:00-12:05 Introductions and updates.
Updates limited to subjects (internal documents, speaking engagements, etc.) not covered below.
12:05-12:10: WCI update.
The WCI is set to release their final proposal on Sept 22, and rumor has it that the WCI is in trouble, e.g., because of disagreements about permit allocations. There's not much more to say here, but it does add some credence and urgency to our work.
12:10-12:30: Legislative work.
In an earlier post I noted that State Senator Eric Oemig is keen on carbon taxes and asked us for questions to pursue with his staff. Our goal for Tuesday is to pick and choose questions and ideas from the ones I posted earlier and/or ones that folks have come up with since then. This is not a brainstorming session, so email me ASAP if you want to add anything to the list below:
- Can the revenue be used to provide dollar-for-dollar property taxes rebates as in Tim Eyman's I-892? Or do tax reductions and revenue generation have to be treated separately for some reason?
- Is it possible to rebate local property taxes, or to provide lump-sum funds to counties to fund energy-efficiency efforts of their choosing?
- Can the revenue go into a cascading pool-type system, where it gets used to rebate tax X, and then if anything is left over it gets used to rebate tax Y, etc?
- Funding for clean energy R&D and/or other programs (e.g., "green jobs") at state colleges and universities?
- Funding for energy efficiency programs, either tied to or separate from property tax rebates?
- Require and/or fund motor vehicle tune-ups, which Aaron K says could increase gas mileage by up to 7%?
- Funding for B&O investment tax credits? (Todd says he has legislative language on this.)
- Concurrent with property tax reductions, should there be reductions in "excise taxes in lieu of property taxes"? These are described in detail in the state's Tax Reference Manual, but the basic idea that these include five taxes (on aircraft, watercraft, timber, Public Utility Districts, and leaseholding) that generate a small amount of state revenue ($0.28m, $16m, $9m, $17m, and $22m, respectively, compared with $16 billion for the state property tax)
- Sales tax exemptions for new cars?
- Ideas for offsetting impacts on low-income households include
- (a) additional funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP);
- (b) money for rapid-transit serving low-income neighborhoods;
- (c) rebates to low- and middle-income workers for the purchase of fuel-efficiency vehicles;
- (d) "green jobs" programs;
- (e) funds to reduce bus fares,
- (f) direct cash payments to low-income households; and
- (g) using the revenue to fund the Working Families Credit. (This last option is on ice because proponents of the Working Families Credit are opposed to this.)
12:30-12:50: Ballot measure work.
In our last meeting we agreed to file a test initiative shortly after Tuesday's meeting. Since this is just a test initiative, we don't need to be too careful about this, but I'm going to try to write up something to post online before the meeting. Until then, here are some issues to think about:
- Are we still going to do this? (Just checking :)
- What are we going to allocate revenue to? (Note that we don't have to go for the same ideas that we ask Sen. Oemig about; the two approaches----legislative and ballot measure---can substitute for or complement each other.)
- Exemption for carbon sequestration?
- Should we try to tax the carbon content of fossil fuels refined in WA but sold out-of-state?
- What tax rate should we use?
12:50-12:55: Next steps.
- Weekly or bi-weekly meetings at UW in addition to our downtown meetings?
- Future downtown meetings 12-1pm on the first Tuesdays of the month: Oct 7, Nov 4, Dec 2, etc.
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