Boeing’s past decisions to move work out of state weigh on debate over tax package.
Several legislators from Southwest Washington said they like at least some parts of the Boeing incentives package they were called to Olympia to approve, but they’re still undecided on the plan and some are unhappy with how hastily the special session was pulled together.
The package includes state tax breaks for the aerospace industry in the hopes of landing Boeing’s 777X project in Washington state. The package has money for aerospace training programs, and it brings back into play a transportation revenue proposal that stalled earlier this year.
Multiple Republicans representing Clark County said they support investments in the state’s economy, but that they’re still gathering more information about whether it’s worth raising the gas tax to pay for new transportation improvements.
“If this special session ends up making our state’s business climate more favorable for years to come, it would be a significant bipartisan accomplishment,” state Rep. Paul Harris, R-Vancouver, said in a statement. He encouraged his 17th District to weigh in on a new gas tax. “We need to do this right and in a manner that also allows the public the opportunity to be involved.”
Sen. Annette Cleveland, D-Vancouver, said she hasn’t been able to form an opinion on the Boeing incentives package yet because she’s still reading through the bills.
“There’s still a lot of unknowns,” Cleveland said. “It’s my perspective that jobs continue to be a top priority for our state. We have to keep in mind what we would have to lose as a state if Boeing were to leave.”
Cleveland said she’s also keeping a watchful eye on the transportation package, in the hopes of securing as much money as possible for Clark County projects. Legislators from her 49th District have firmed up a list of projects they want in the package, including new interchanges on Interstate 5 and state Highway 500 and improved railway access in west Vancouver. The controversial Columbia River Crossing is not expected to be in the transportation revenue package.
Tax breaks for businesses can benefit Washington state, but not all tax incentives are created equal, Rep. Sharon Wylie, D-Vancouver, said Thursday. She said she remains neutral to the Boeing proposal and will approach it with a “smart skepticism.”
“My criteria for tax incentives,” Wylie said, “are that they be really effective, they do what they’re supposed to do, they don’t sacrifice other values that we have, they’re fair and they really do create the jobs that we’re looking for.”
On the transportation proposal, Harris and Rep. Liz Pike, R-Camas, said they still want to see reforms passed that would bring down the cost of the state’s transportation projects.
“We need accountability in the system and reforms enacted before the Legislature asks you for more money,” Pike said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Rep. Brandon Vick, R-Vancouver, criticized the late notice lawmakers and the public received about the session. Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee announced on Tuesday that the special session would convene Thursday, and the first public hearing on the Boeing incentives package was Thursday afternoon.
“I have no doubt this session has come as a complete surprise to most legislators on both sides of the aisle,” Vick said in a statement. “Regardless of the content of the legislation, the citizens of the state of Washington are being shut out of the conversation.”
