In an article in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer on October 16, 2007, George Kargianis and Phil Talmadge mention what almost no one is bringing up- especially Sound Transit- that the Sound Transit 1 tax will not be retired, but will be extended.

This is significant, because the Prop 1 (RTID/ST2) glossy flyer that just came out doesn’t tell folks how much more the Sound Transit 1 reauthorized taxes will cost them, in addition to the Proposition 1 (RTID/ST2) taxes.

Do local elected officials think that local homeowners can bear all of these taxes, raise their children, save for retirement, take care of their parents, and still pay for the plethora of additional taxes that will likely be coming afterwards, such as:

seismic upgrades for earthquake preparedness, bridge repairs, utilities hikes, expanded infrastructure for future water supplies, water rate increases, Port security, Homeland Security increases, and education levies for physical plant upgrades and updated technology.

That list doesn’t even get us to the projects that enrich our lives: new or upgraded parks, support for the arts, and libraries.

Nor does the proposed tax burden address folks with fixed incomes, retirees, high medical bills, etc. Folks that don’t own property will still pay for these taxes through trickle-down costs such as higher rents, sales taxes, motor vehicle excise tax (MVET) and other business costs.

Now Ron Sims wants three new taxes:

“Sims said those taxes added together, if approved by the council, would cost “a lot less” than the three-county “Roads & Transit” tax measure he opposes. The measure, also known as Proposition 1, is on the Nov. 6 ballot.”

Let’s see, Sims wants money for:

• A sales tax of 1 cent per $10 purchase to fund treatment and other services for people who are mentally ill or have drug or alcohol addictions. The tax is expected to cost the average household $25 a year;

• A property-tax levy amounting to $40 on a $400,000 house, or $10 per $100,000 value, to upgrade flood-control levees in suburban cities and rural areas; and

• A $20 tax on a $400,000 home to create a ferry district operating passenger-only ferries on Puget Sound and Lake Washington.

The Seattle Times reports:

Under initial spending assumptions, the housing downturn would have nearly wiped out general-fund reserves in 2009 and created a shortfall of $30 million to $40 million.

Is anyone concerned that the current proposed taxes will “max out” taxpayers to the point where other critical infrastructure needs of this region, not addressed in these tax packages (listed above), will be ignored because of the timing of the “asks”, and the inability of the middle and lower classes to continue to afford living in this region under huge tax increases?

Shouldn’t regional governments and agencies learn to operate within a limited budget, like regular folks do, rather than taxing folks into moving out of the region?