LETTER: Here’s how to fund education without imposing costs on businesses

Gov. Jay Inslee yet again wants to spend billions of dollars of other people’s money, this time ostensibly to comply with the state Supreme Court’s McCleary decision.

He would impose billions in carbon taxes, not even offset by lowering the sales tax, like Initiative 732 (rejected last year by a 19 percent margin) would have done.

A state carbon tax is a job killer that would make Washington state less competitive without doing much for the global environment, given the interconnected nature of the atmosphere.

He would impose a capital gains tax.

Punishing business owners for being successful, growing a business and increasing its value is just about the worst thing government can do for job creation.

In addition, he would expand the business and occupation tax, already the most onerous one in the nation.

The B&O tax is levied on gross revenue, regardless of whether the business is profitable, a killer of new enterprises if there ever was one.

The only reasonable option is ignored by Gov. Inslee — namely, fulfilling the state’s obligation to fund basic education by reallocating funds to education from that part of the budget not dedicated to education.

The 2015-16 state general fund budget of $38.4 billion grew 84 percent since the 2000 budget of $20.8 billion, according to www.researchcouncil.org and the League of Women Voters, with population growth of 24 percent and inflation of 39 percent, according to www.inflationdata.com.

I believe we can reallocate funds from the remainder of the budget to education, leaving other services funded at 2000 levels, adjusted for population growth and inflation.

And all that without raising taxes a dime and without hurting our economy.

Kaj Ahlburg,

Port Angeles