Nine Point Fuckin’ Five

Sales tax in King County Washington is now 9.5%. I don’t know if I’m more appalled by the actual number or the fact that there’s no public outrage by the rise in sales tax. Again.

Or still. I need to start going to Oregon to buy stuff. This new rate makes a 360 game $65.69. Makes a $3.75 cup of coffee become $4.11. New Nintendo DS? $186.14. A Samsung 52″ LCD on sale at Best Buy goes for $2099.99 (orig $2699.99) but in WA it’s out the door price is $2299.49, eating a third of the savings. I know it’s simple math, but it doesn’t take the sting out of it. And isn’t that just what you want to see as spending slows down? Higher tax rates? On top of that, Amazon is a WA based company: every order there gets ding with sales tax as well. Pretty damaging number.

On a personal note, my thanks to everyone that re-elected Gregoire. True, Rossi may have raised the rate as well (maybe even raised it higher!) but I can’t debate that because it’s an unknown. What I can state is a very simple fact: Christine has raised it from 8.8% to 9.5% within a span of four years. And where has the money gone? I know where it hasn’t gone: the Alaskan Way viaduct, a new 520 bridge, the light rail project for Bellevue, or the “new” monorail in Seattle. I know that we have new parks though. I’m sure we have a whole slew of anti-drug programs. Not to mention the anti-online gambling task force. Along with all sorts of other hippie feel-good programs that have been dreamed up in Olympia and given us nothing to show for it.

Well, I shouldn’t say we have nothing to show for it… obviously we all have to help pay the bill.


One thought on “Nine Point Fuckin’ Five”

  1. Try Oregon. 9% of GROSS Income. That’s 10x’s what you’re shopping for of 148th and Northup.

    yes, I am an oregonian, and I work at msft.. and I get to pay OR tax, and when I commute to Redmond, I get to pay WA tax. how’s that for SUCK.


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