The mood heading into Washington state’s 2025 legislative session Jan. 13 is not exactly hopeful. According to the Cascade PBS/Elway poll, a majority of voters feel the state is headed in the wrong direction. Many Democrats and Republicans agree that the outlook for the state is bleak, with more than half of those surveyed saying things are getting worse, with high taxes, budget shortfalls and the rising cost of living driving their concerns.

Voters want their pocketbooks prioritized. The poll found that 66% of respondents preferred cutting government spending to address the state’s budget deficit rather than raising taxes. It’s a clear message to lawmakers: Stop asking taxpayers for more money and start allocating the funds you already have more efficiently. 

Many leading Democrats, including outgoing Gov. Jay Inslee, erroneously believe they’ve received a different, clear message. They have cited the failure of three tax-halting initiatives on the November ballot as proof that Washingtonians are open to more government largesse and increased taxes. 

Gov. Jay Inslee said in a recent legislative preview on TVW that taxpayers are OK with taxes — as long as they hit the rich. That’s not exactly right. In the Cascade PBS Elway poll, respondents said that if the state does raise taxes, 57% of voters would prefer taxes on the wealthy, compared to 29% who said they prefer taxes on everyone, 3% who support taxes on businesses and 11% with no opinion. 

But again, 66% of Elway poll respondents said they preferred that the state cut existing programs and services rather than increase taxes. Only 25% said legislators should raise taxes to avoid cuts and 9% had no opinion. 

Inslee was asked by a member of the media, “How do you define wealthy? Is it assets, revenue?” He mentioned critics’ concern that the “wealthy” label will start dropping down and more people will be taxed. He’s right. There are already discussions about widening the applicability of taxes that hit upper-income people. 

Inslee gave a non-answer to the “what is wealthy” question. He ended up describing wealthy as people with large families and good partners. Sigh. He also did not say that taxes on the wealthy won’t reach down to people most of us don’t consider wealthy. 

Most disappointing to me, Inslee said the state needs more progressive taxes and that workers should be spared. That comment is ridiculous. State lawmakers have refused to offer broad-based tax relief, even in times of budget surplus. A bill to provide a sales tax reduction of 1 percent, Senate Bill 5932, proposed by the Senate Democratic Majority Caucus Vice Chair Mona Das in 2022, didn’t even receive a hearing.

And we are a state in which lawmakers like to penalize workers. Inslee and most Democrats celebrate and support the state’s five-year old Paid Family and Medical Leave program and the even newer WA Cares Fund: Both of these will have low-income wage earners financing the needs of workers who do not require taxpayer dependency, with higher wages and more resources, at the expense of their own needs. (Read more in a column I wrote for The Spokesman Review, titled, “State celebrates program that harms low-income workers.”)

Budget cuts, not tax hikes

Governor-elect Bob Ferguson did not seem as callous to the needs of taxpayers to find a way to make their budgets work and live within their means while Washington hasn’t. Ferguson said it was important to understand how the state got to the level of budget deficit we're experiencing. (He should already know that the state has a spending problem.)

Ferguson did sing my tune when he explained that when families face a budget shortfall, they cut spending and prioritize essentials. Ferguson suggested a 6% across-the-board cut to state agencies, saying, “Our government can be far more efficient.” That’s encouraging to hear, but I remain cautiously optimistic. It’s one thing to talk about scrubbing the budget for efficiencies; it’s another to actually do it. I hope Ferguson is serious about shifting state spending toward core services and away from unnecessary projects and bureaucratic bloat.

Cascade PBS followed up with some poll participants to learn more about their answers. Tracy Gibbs, a 63-year-old Union resident and Democrat, said what a lot of us think: “I just haven’t heard any solutions being discussed other than raising taxes,” she said. “I don’t think you can tax your way out of the problems we have.” Ferguson echoed that sentiment and expressed skepticism of the wealth tax proposed by Inslee. (Reminder: Ferguson was a proponent of the state’s capital gains tax.)

Dennis Humbard, a 79-year-old Kent resident and Independent voter, put it bluntly, “It’s all about taxes, it’s about money, it’s all about greed.” Humbard, like many on fixed incomes, is already struggling with rising costs.

The government needs to look for efficiencies before asking for more money. I hope Ferguson is as committed to budget slicing and reprioritizing as he suggested Thursday. Washington Policy Center has ideas for cuts, as do various lawmakers.

Watch the preview of the 2025 legislative session, hosted by the Washington State Association of Broadcasters and Allied Daily Newspapers of Washington, here.