The Seattle Times is reporting that more than 60 percent of voters in the state of Washington have voted to repeal taxes on several products including candy, gum, bottled water, soft drinks and some foods.
With the passage of initiative 1107 in a challenging political environment, the people of Washington have given a clear rebuke to discriminatory and unfair taxes. They don’t want lawmakers reaching into their grocery carts with new taxes to pay for more government spending.
We’re seeing this across the country. People believe government is getting too involved in their personal lives. And they know they can decide for themselves what to buy without government help. They don’t want government telling them what to eat or drink by taxing grocery items – and they really don’t want that to happen when the tax is just going to pay for more government spending. And, Washington voters are proving no different.
States are facing budget challenges because they’ve spent beyond their means and voters recognize that. They want to see government trim its budget fat and stop nickel and diming them with more taxes for this, that and the other thing. It adds up to real money that people just can’t afford in this economy and are unwilling to pay.