As citizens of King County, we are becoming increasingly skeptical of Ron Sims' proposed sales tax increase. Following the county executive's newest addition, which includes previously unheard-of union language, the tax is sounding less like an increase in funds and more like a power grab for the Service Employees International Union Service Employees International Union.

This edit to the proposal, which was set into motion by the Service Employees International Union themselves, requires all non-profit mental health organizations to have a "binding partnership agreement with a bona-fide union" before receiving the funds raised by the tax. This vague and confusing stipulation to an already substandard proposal to raise sales tax by one-tenth of one percent (10 cents on every one hundred dollars) only delays badly needed funds for services which are so desperately required.

This sly attempt by the Service Employees International Union may be disguised as a minor reform, but in truth it is a shameful attempt to sneak unneeded language and complicated propositions past the tax's supporters. This only draws attention to the increasingly evident need for change on a grander scale. While the sales tax provides an appealing short-term increase in funding for Human Services in our county, it fails to address the glaring lack of steady and substantial financial flow these services need.

The bottom line is that the sales tax is regressive; it negatively affects the poor, stretching the class gap further with each increase. Why should the poorest of Seattle's poor, who are forced to pay high sales taxes on lower amounts of goods, while the upper class enjoy the benefits of purchasing in bulk to almost completely avoid taxation? It's time that Seattle's upper class is forced to do its part in funding this city's services.

It is becoming clear that a property or luxury tax is the next logical step for King County in its campaign to increase funding for human services. If the County Council is truly devoted to ending homelessness and increasing services for those in need in this region, then shouldn't replacing a regressive and outdated tax be an obvious priority? In a perfect world, county officials could rely on the prosperous upper class in our area to donate a portion of their riches to help human services.

In reality, this is not the case. According to Nicole Macri, a staff member at Seattle homeless shelter, Downtown Emergency Service Center, only 6 percent of her organization's funding comes from private sources. If the upper class won't provide the money themselves, then perhaps a tax which forces them to is in order.

Most King County citizens find pride in the fact that they live in such a progressive and prosperous region. Then why is it that so many King County residents suffer under the effects of this onerous and regressive sales tax? King County needs drastic tax reform, and it needs it now. We urge the King County Council, as well as citizens of King County, to consider these issues and attend the council's public hearing on this matter on Nov. 13 at 1:30 p.m.

Ryan Carney

Alki