Goveror Christine Gregoire will present her budget next Monday, she told KING 5 News, and at the same time, lay out her plan to raise revenue and avoid some of the most drastic cuts.
“Democrats and Republicans alike have said to me, these cuts are going to cut too deep, they’re going to cut into the bone, this is not what we want for our future, we need to look at alternatives for revenue,” Gregoire said.
The governor says she’s still reviewing all the possibilities, which could include higher taxes or fees.
“If we’re going to raise some sort of revenue that’s significant, I just don’t think the legislature should do it, I think it should turn to the voters and ask them what they want,” she says.
Meanwhile, a new KING 5 poll finds state residents are not necessarily excited about raising taxes, despite the threat of serious budget cuts. When asked if the state should raise taxes to reduce the impact of the governor’s proposed cuts, 64 percent said the state should not raise taxes, while 27 percent said they’d support a tax increase.
The KING 5/SurveyUSA poll found Republicans most strongly against a tax increase (83 percent opposed), compared to Democrats who were split (43 percent opposed vs. 44 percent support). The poll of 500 statewide adults, has a margin of +/- 4.3 percent.
A new revenue forecast for the state comes out on Thursday; legislators return for a special session on November 28.
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