Top economic advisor admits Inslee’s tax schemes not properly studied

Jay Inslee spent much of 2014 denying he had any carbon reduction plan. When questioned concerning the economic repercussions of certain carbon reduction schemes, he avoided answering by claiming he had not introduced any proposal. For months, Inslee left the public in the dark by refusing to address or acknowledge his extreme green agenda—Shift informed or readers time and time again of what Inslee had in the works: a cap-and-tax and fuel mandate. In December, Inslee introduced his budget and the public at last became privy to his secret plans—a cap-and-tax and fuel mandate scheme.

Well, everyday citizens were not the only people Inslee left in the dark concerning his cap-and-tax scheme. During a state House Technology and Economic Development Committee hearing this week, GOP Rep. Richard DeBolt asked Inslee’s top economic advisor at the state Department of Commerce a question related to the consequences of Inslee’s cap-and-tax scheme, particularly it’s potential negative impact on job growth in Washington State. The economic advisor informed DeBolt that the state Department of Commerce is “certainly not directly engaged in the governor’s pollution charge proposal.”

But, that’s not all. During the same committee session, GOP Rep. Chad Magendanz pointed out that tech industries are attracted to Washington State due to the lack of a state income tax and capital gains tax. He asked the same top economic advisor if any measurement has been made as to how a state capital gains tax would impact the ability to attract tech industries. The economic advisor admitted that he has not analyzed how Inslee’s new capital gains tax would impact the tech industry.

These admissions reveal extremely important details concerning Inslee’s cap-and-tax and capital gains tax schemes—they do not seriously consider the impact on jobs and they do not seriously consider the economic impact on one of our state’s most vibrant industries. Inslee’s failure to actively seek the participation of key economic advisors and his failure to ensure that all consequences of his new tax proposals are accounted for reveal the inexcusably careless—and singularly motivated—nature of his cap-and-tax and capital gains tax schemes.