[CPEO-BIF] Washington state's hazardous substances tax challenged

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

Gas-station owners want tax overturned

By Jim Brunner
Seattle Times
March 24, 2010

OLYMPIA - Angered by environmentalists' push to more than double the tax 
on oil and other chemicals, an association of gas-station owners has 
sued the state to overturn the tax altogether.

Filed this week in King County Superior Court, the lawsuit argues the 
state's hazardous-substances tax is unconstitutional.

Created by a voter initiative in 1988, the tax has been largely 
dedicated to cleanup of toxic-waste sites, though the Legislature last 
year diverted $180 million to help balance the state budget.

The oil industry and environmentalists are locked in a fierce fight in 
Olympia over legislation to raise the tax. That would bring in about 
$100 million a year to help cities and towns control and clean up 
polluted stormwater, which the state regards as a major threat to Puget 
Sound.

...

For the entire article, see
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2011432231_taxsuit25m.html

--


Lenny Siegel
Executive Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
a project of the Pacific Studies Center
278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org



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