The Washington State Senate today passed Senate Bill 6143, which would create or raise 21 separate taxes. Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, issued this statement after the measure passed by a vote of 25-23.

“Before the passage of this tax package and the budget it would support, the Legislature had been saying it was going to start holding government accountable. Instead, those who receive tax incentives to help grow our economy would be held accountable. The state has outspent its revenues over the last several years, but we won’t recognize that fact. Instead, we are holding small businesses and private citizens accountable by forcing them to pay for what we have done.

“Overspending has brought us to this point. Since February 2008, higher education has lost 1,900 jobs and the rest of state government, just 500. On the other hand, the private sector has lost 181,200 jobs, or a 7.5 percent reduction in its workforce. The construction industry in Washington has seen a reduction of up to 29 percent of its employees. Not including higher-education jobs, state government has seen a reduction of just seven-tenths of a percent.

“Private-sector employees must pay somewhere between 20 and 24 percent for health insurance. State employees pay only 12 percent. The state has failed to step up to the plate like it promised.

“Today, the Senate passed a tax package containing 21 separate tax increases that should have received individual votes. But doing so would have given the public a better understanding of what we did, and perhaps the majority party doesn’t want that to happen.

“Instead, the Legislature is raising taxes on every citizen and nearly every business in the state of Washington. Passing this budget sends a message which has been repeated by the majority party all session: ‘We don’t care if you survive and we don’t care if you do business in the state of Washington. We don’t care how badly you are hurting or how much you’ve had to cut. We just want your money.’”