This isn't the year for broad property tax relief

By Brad Shannon | The Olympian • Published February 03, 2008

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Property tax relief won't be coming this year from Washington's Legislature, not in any major measure.

The numbers behind the issue

25th Washington's rank per capita in property taxes in 2005, at $1,055, just below the U.S. average. When compared with income, Washington was 27th-highest at $29.81 per $1,000 in income.

6 The percent of their incomes paid in property taxes by homeowners in the lowest 40 percent for income, twice what the highest-income homeowners pay.

69 The percent increase from 1997 to 2007 that state and local property tax collections have risen, to $7.7 billion.

120 percent How much property valuations are shooting up statewide on average, climbing to $740 billion in 2007, up from $331 billion in 1997.

17.8 percent The amount in Thurston County that valuations went up in 2007.

1,620 The number of appeals of their 2007 property valuations in the county, up from 782 in 2006.

The Olympian

Unless you're a disabled veteran or senior citizen who earns too much to qualify for exemptions, you can forget about getting much help — or, on the other hand, hurt — this year.

One exception might be a bill heard by a House committee Friday that would make it easier for homeowners and businesses to win challenges of yearly land valuations set by assessors.

"We're not going to do anything drastic and not anything radical. We could do so much damage by doing little pieces here and there," said Sen. Margarita Prentice, the Renton Democrat who leads the Senate Ways and Means Committee.

Prentice's plan is to hold hearings at 1:30 p.m. Thursday for what is being called "property tax day" in Ways and Means. At least eight proposals will be considered — such as a homestead exemption and bills that make it easier for seniors to qualify for tax exemptions. Prentice said she plans work sessions this summer in places such as Wenatchee, Yakima, Clark County and Walla Walla. But she doesn't expect major action this year.

"I want to hear what the truth really is. I don't have preconceived ideas," Prentice said, outlining a plan that is much slower than what she promised last November after the Legislature's one-day special session.

Critical response

The go-slow approach is not good enough to satisfy minority Republicans, who have taken to accusing Democrats of "punting" on major issues such as future budget deficits, transportation, health care reform and other sticky topics. They question how seriously Democrats are talking about tax reform. "If there is significant discussion going on about property taxes, it is a quiet or private discussion," said Sen. Joseph Zarelli, R-Ridgefield.

Zarelli favors exempting $100,000 value of a taxpayer's primary residence for purposes of collecting the state share of the tax, which has shrunk over the years to about $2 per $1,000 of value. Also, he's phased out the state's share of the tax entirely over about six to eight years, starting with his constitutional amendment proposal, Senate Joint Resolution 8226.

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