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Department of Revenue advises counties
to postpone implementing I-722

San Juan County Prosecutor press release

Department of Revenue says San Juan County will be bound by Thurston County ruling on I-722
--but county may join case to protect rural counties tax

The Washington Department of Revenue December 4, 2000 advised San Juan County and other counties around the state to postpone implementing the property tax provisions of Initiative 722 until the courts have ruled on its validity.

On Thursday November 30, the Thurston County Superior Court stayed the Department of Revenue, the State of Washington, four Counties and nine cities from implementing the property tax rollback and limitation measure enacted on November 7.

San Juan County Prosecutor Randy Gaylord had asked the Department of Revenue to extend the court stay to all counties in a letter to the Department's Attorney on November 30, 2000. As a trustee of the Washington Association of Prosecutors, Gaylord was helping other prosecutors develop the legal strategy for becoming bound by the Thurston County decision.

"This is the guidance from the Department we asked for," said Prosecutor Randy Gaylord. "Our assessor, Paul Dossett, has been keen on making sure that the taxing system we use is uniform within the county and that it fits with the system other counties are using. Paul has been watching over this closely, to the benefit of all the citizens of the County."

According to the Department of Revenue, all counties and taxing districts are bound by the Thurston County case because they act in "active concert" with the Department of Revenue.

Assessor Paul Dosset had this comment: "Uniformity is the cornerstone of our State Constitution that guarantees the citizens do not pay any more that the fair share of the property tax burden than any other citizen. I-722 has the potential to shift taxes among citizens in a way that erodes uniformity. The injunction stabalizes our property tax system until such time as the courts can rule on the constitutionality of I-722."

"We are closely scrutinizing all aspects of the Court decision and the letter advice of the Department of Revenue," said Gaylord. "If it is necessary to join the lawsuit to protect the rural counties tax, we will do what we need to do." The rural counties tax is a 0.08 percent revenue shift in sales tax from the state to the county to pay for capital facilities in rural counties.

The decision of the court and the letter from revenue will postpone the implementation of I-722. A final ruling from the court is not expected until after February 23, 2000.

San Juan Islander staff

by mail: San Juan Islander
PO Box 1118
Friday Harbor, WA 98250 USA

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