People buying homes have a hard time paying their property taxes during these tough economic times. B&O taxes are really difficult for small businesses trying to make a payroll.

Many middle-class people have seen their incomes go down, while lots of high-income people are doing great. Worst of all in terms of fairness, in this state families who are struggling pay a bigger percentage of their income in taxes than do those who are making more than they know how to spend.

A measure on the upcoming ballot will help all of this--I-1098. Adopting it will cut property taxes by 20 percent and eliminate B&O taxes for small businesses. The lost revenue will be replaced by a new state tax on the incomes of the wealthiest 1.2 percent of our population. This cannot be changed in the future to include lower incomes without a vote of the people.

This state has been good to our high-income citizens. They have more means and leisure than some of us to enjoy our highways and parks. They have more to be protected by our courts and law-enforcement. They benefit from having their neighbors, household help, and employees provided with education, health care, and mental health services. They should pay more of the cost of all this than they do now.

Read the initiative, ignore the TV ads, and vote for I-1098.

Bruce Pringle
Normandy Park