Make tax shifting illegal

HB 1519, in the Washington state legislature, is bad legislation. It addresses tax shift, but only stretches out the impact on taxpayers by imposing the increase in taxes over four years. It should make the shifting of taxes illegal, once and for all.

In 2013, after the Great Wolf decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, the Washington Department of Revenue decreed that improvements on Indian land cannot be taxed. As a result Shelter Bay and Pull & Be Damned were removed from the tax rolls. The Skagit County Assessor shifted the taxes that these areas used to pay to nine other levy codes in the La Conner School District. The Swinomish Tribal Community began collecting taxes from Shelter Bay and Pull & Be Damned in 2015.

Four of the taxing districts negotiated contracts with the Tribe to replace the taxes lost, although one of them, Medic 1, has not received any money since 2017. The local taxing districts continued making the same, or increased, levy requests to the County Assessor. They are double dipping.

The tax shift equals over $300 per year to the average taxpayer in the La Conner area. HB 1519 should be withdrawn and replaced with legislation that makes tax shifting illegal without a vote of the taxpayers.

Sincerely,

Dan O’Donnell

La Conner