Eyman's Tax-Limiting I-1366 Leads In Early Returns

In early returns, Washington voters were favoring professional initiative sponsor Tim Eyman’s latest tax-limiting initiative.

Initiative 1366 was leading with nearly 54 percent of the vote at 8:30 p.m., according to the Secretary of State’s election results website.

At a Krispy Kreme donut shop in north Seattle, Eyman told reporters this is the sixth time Washington voters had approved a super-majority requirement for tax hikes.

“I think it’s time once and for all for us to settle this debate with a two-thirds for taxes constitutional amendment vote," he said.

This initiative would reduce the state sales tax from 6.5 percent to 5.5 percent unless lawmakers send voters a constitutional amendment requiring a two-thirds vote of the legislature or a vote of the people to raise taxes.

Constitutional amendments in Washington require a two-thirds votes of the legislature and ratification by a simple majority of Washington voters

That decrease in the state sales tax would result in an estimated $8 billion loss of revenue over six years.

Eyman sponsored I-1366 after the Washington Supreme Court in 2013 tossed out as unconstitutional his previous voter-approved two-thirds requirement for tax hikes.

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