H-1493.1

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 4207


State of Washington	65th Legislature	2017 Regular Session

By Representatives Manweller, McDonald, Haler, Harris, Buys, Klippert, MacEwen, Chandler, Taylor, Caldier, Vick, Condotta, Schmick, J. Walsh, Hayes, Graves, Irwin, McCaslin, Van Werven, McCabe, Muri, Maycumber, Volz, Barkis, Wilcox, Kristiansen, Kretz, Shea, Griffey, Rodne, Harmsworth, Steele, Kraft, Jenkin, Holy, Dent, Hargrove, Pike, Stokesbary, Smith, Johnson, and Young

Read first time 02/15/17. Referred to Committee on Finance.

THAT, At the next general election to be held in this state the secretary of state must submit to the qualified voters of the state for their approval and ratification, or rejection, an amendment to Article VII, section 1 of the Constitution of the state of Washington to read as follows:

Article VII, section 1. (a) The power of taxation shall never be suspended, surrendered or contracted away. All taxes shall be uniform upon the same class of property within the territorial limits of the authority levying the tax and shall be levied and collected for public purposes only. The word "property" as used herein shall mean and include everything, whether tangible or intangible, subject to ownership. All real estate shall constitute one class: Provided, That the legislature may tax mines and mineral resources and lands devoted to reforestation by either a yield tax or an ad valorem tax at such rate as it may fix, or by both.

(b) Such property as the legislature may by general laws provide shall be exempt from taxation. Property of the United States and of the state, counties, school districts and other municipal corporations, and credits secured by property actually taxed in this state, not exceeding in value the value of such property, shall be exempt from taxation. The legislature shall have power, by appropriate legislation, to exempt personal property to the amount of fifteen thousand ($15,000.00) dollars for each head of a family liable to assessment and taxation under the provisions of the laws of this state of which the individual is the actual bona fide owner.

(c) No state or local tax may be imposed on individual income derived from wages, investments, the sale of goods or services, or any other source; however, nothing in this article prohibits the modification of any state or local tax or fee authorized as of January 1, 2017.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the secretary of state must cause notice of this constitutional amendment to be published at least four times during the four weeks next preceding the election in every legal newspaper in the state.