The gas tax, unfortunately, is one of them.
Look, no one’s excited about increasing the gas tax, I can assure you,” he said.
RELATED: Ferguson had until Tuesday to sign the budget balancing package and avoid a special session.
The Governor said he doesn’t want to call a special session to try and adjust before that.
“I don’t think anybody’s excited about a special session,” said Ferguson, near the end of the marathon press conference.
Gov. After standing behind a podium for about an hour and a half, Bob Ferguson acknowledged that he was agreeing to raise taxes significantly, something he had stated he didn’t want to do just two months prior.
We won’t be able to get out of this by taxing ourselves, I said. We’re not going to cut our way out of it,” Ferguson said, foreseeing the question that would be on the minds of the majority of the reporters present. “It became equally clear early on in the process.”. The budget that I signed today safeguards essential services. “.”.
Ferguson did not, however, downplay the likely effects of the $9 billion package on the majority of Washingtonians or the impact on the business community of the numerous new revenue streams, such as BandO, property, sales, and the 6-cent increase in gas taxes per gallon.
“At the moment, our options for revenue are limited. Sadly, one of them is the gas tax. He assured them that no one was enthusiastic about raising the gas tax.
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Ferguson was given until Tuesday to sign the package that balanced the budget in order to prevent a special session. Thus, he eliminated work groups, grants, and planned studies.
Republicans in the House and Senate have long maintained that inflated revenue projections and additional program spending were the cause of the deficit. Ferguson maintained a calm stance on the matter throughout the budget cycle, even receiving commendation from Republicans for his threat of vetoing a wealth tax, which ultimately put an end to that proposal.
However, those same Republicans attacked Ferguson on Tuesday.
In a statement, Allyn representative Travis Couture, the House Republican Budget Leader, said, “These new taxes and fees will crush families already battling an affordability crisis and hit employers still trying to recover.”.
“Governor Ferguson ordered his own party to change direction and limit the tax increases last month. That was all talk, it turned out. He approved a budget today that worsens our affordability crisis, taxes the living daylights out of Washington, and targets job creators. One of the five budgetary principles he outlined was to reduce new spending. Rather, he approved of yet another extravagant spending binge. No difficult decisions had to be made. The unsuccessful status quo was maintained. “.”.
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“Working families, small businesses, and the economic future of our state are severely harmed by this budget,” Mason County Republican State Senator Drew MacEwen said in a statement. The governor has decided to put more of the burden on taxpayers rather than seek sensible, well-rounded solutions at a time when Washingtonians are already struggling with skyrocketing living expenses, rising housing costs, and inflation. Due to these tax increases, families may have to pay up to $2,000 annually. “”.
Ferguson acknowledged that he kept his decisions to himself because “I don’t want to make some big public announcement I’d have to walk back when I learn more about the budget.” There were no leaks prior to the bill signing. Given that it was my first time, I felt that approach was suitable for this. “.”.
When talking about the upcoming June revenue estimates or the potential effects of any federal cuts, Ferguson sounded gloomy. He emphasized that this $78 billion budget safeguards the rainy day fund and important funds for public safety, housing, and education. Additionally, he acknowledged that there might be unforeseen repercussions for the business community and that he is amenable to changes to his supplemental budget for December.
According to the governor, he does not want to try to make adjustments before then by calling a special session. “I don’t think anybody is excited about a special session,” Ferguson said as the lengthy press conference came to a close. “Look, if anything happens between now and January, it can’t be ruled out. I’m not trying to raise any red flags here. To be clear,” he said, “I obviously can’t rule that out.”. “”.
