Mark Harmsworth (@markharm) header
Mark Harmsworth (@markharm) profile picture

Recovering State Representative - citizen rights, less congestion, smaller efficient government. Conservative. Car guy. All with a British accent. #waleg #wagov

Mill Creek
Joined November 2010
Photo by Mark Harmsworth (@markharm)Photo by Mark Harmsworth (@markharm)Photo by Mark Harmsworth (@markharm)Photo by Mark Harmsworth (@markharm)Photo by Mark Harmsworth (@markharm)Photo by Mark Harmsworth (@markharm)Photo by Mark Harmsworth (@markharm)Photo by Mark Harmsworth (@markharm)Photo by Mark Harmsworth (@markharm)
Mark Harmsworth retweeted
It was as obvious then as it is now.
Interesting to hear comments from Dem members that this income tax could surely NEVER apply to public pensions. Yet the bill specifically amends over a dozen pension statutes to make sure pension income is included in the definition of adjusted gross income. #waleg
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Mark Harmsworth retweeted
For just over 136 years, Washington State has managed just fine without an income tax. In that time, we built one of the best state economies in the world, with companies other states are jealous of that provides great jobs and benefits. A permanent state income tax that will apply to all of us in no time is an existential threat to our economy and to taxpayers, because after “the rich” move to avoid the tax, all that will be left is you, Democrats recklessly spending your money for little results, and with no meaningful tax relief. Meanwhile, some states that do have an income tax are considering eliminating it so that they can usher in the capital that ours chases away. Other states that have income taxes also don’t have 7 other wallet busting taxes to pay. It’s amazing to me sometimes that these clear facts are even partisan. Implementing this income tax in WA is not only unconstitutional, it’s economically illiterate and politically brain dead. Why are the unions backing it with so much cash? Occam’s Razor my friends. Because it’s not to fund schools, healthcare, or anything other than to fund unions who turn around and spend millions on taking more from your wallet. I spend my days buried in our state budget, and this is clear as day to me. It’s clear as day to them too, except they aren’t honest about it, because honesty would lose. Democrats and their media friends knowingly spread lies to strangle common sense to death in WA. A yes vote on the initiative is a vote to protect our future from economic arsonists, socialism, fraud, corruption, and wasteful government spending.
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Mark Harmsworth retweeted
Why would they take away tax protections on public pensions if they didn't have intentions of taxing them? Repeal the income tax. Protect public pensions. Vote yes on I-645.
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Ok, but what about promising also not to increase the 9.9% rate and veto any legislative change that increases it?
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Mark Harmsworth retweeted
Seattle realestate is so cooked. And we aren’t even close to the bottom. Thank socialist Mayor Katie Wilson and fellow WA Democrats. Raise taxes, allow crime to flourish, then reasonable people leave. At least now they are on their way to “affordable housing.”
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Mark Harmsworth retweeted
NEW: Democratic Rep Cindy Ryu admits her party plans to lower the threshold on the income tax from millionaires to everyone in WA state & that she wants to tax companies more She told KUOW, "Let's look at less, about 250,000. Can we live well on$250,000 a year of net income?"
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And let's see how fast the price of gas doesn't fall - Olympia is addicted to that revenue....
Good news! Washington’s CO2 allowance price fell from $64.46 to $39.50 per metric ton in the current auction. That amounts to 31.6 cents per gallon - a drop of 20 cents per gallon from the last auction. It is still 37% higher than the California price. 1/3 #waleg
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Washington state elementary teachers have the highest median income - adjusted for cost of living - in the nation according to @USAFacts. The median salary is 29% higher than in Oregon. #waleg
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Mark Harmsworth retweeted
Seems problematic for WA long term fiscal viability. Gonna be really hard to sustain a budget when the people who pay taxes have exited, and the ones who consume tax benefits are all that's left, and growing...
From Gene Balk at the Seattle Times: "King County experienced a loss of residents due to domestic migration...They took their paychecks with them. Outbound migrants carried about $8.7 billion in [Adjusted Gross Income] out of King County, while incoming residents brought in $6.7 billion — a net drain of nearly $2 billion from the local economy in a single year, just from people relocating." (Oh, but it get's worse) "Despite gaining more people from other states than it lost to them, King County still saw a net loss of $446 million in AGI to out-of-state migrants. In other words, the people leaving Washington for other states had, on average, higher incomes than the ones moving in." TL;DR: King County is losing high earning residents to other states, and replacing them with people who make a lot less money. Gene Balk | @seattletimes 'King County’s population exodus is mostly local, IRS data shows' Article: seattletimes.com/seattle-new…
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Mark Harmsworth retweeted
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Mark Harmsworth retweeted
Voters this November will be told that repealing the income tax would reduce funding for schools and healthcare. But how can repealing a tax that won't generate a single dollar until 2029 reduce funding for programs that aren't receiving any of that money today? The income tax earmarks nothing for K-12 education, higher education, or healthcare. Aside from a 5% allocation to the Fair Start for Kids Account beginning in 2029, the revenue goes into the unrestricted general fund, where future legislatures decide how it's spent. Washington's Public Investment Impact Disclosure should describe what an initiative actually does, not imply that repealing a tax that won't produce revenue until 2029 would reduce funding for today's schools and healthcare. #waleg
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Mark Harmsworth retweeted
Yes Democrats, it is ok to ackowledge to reality. Both former Governors Gregoire and Locke have called out the irresponsible lack of spending discipline in Olympia with the citizen's money. Time to quit handing more matches to the arsonists.
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Washington is drowning in debt, while Idaho, Montana and Wyoming work to clear the books. #statedebt #governmentspending
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