(The Center Square) – The president and chairman of HD Fowler has announced he will step down as chairman after testifying in favor of a proposed income tax currently moving through the Washington State Legislature.
Senate Bill 6346 would enact a 9.9% tax on annual personal income exceeding $1 million for individuals and households. The bill cleared the state Senate earlier this month in a 27-22 vote and was voted out of the House Committee on Finance on Feb. 27.
During the bill’s Feb. 6 public hearing in the Senate Ways & Means Committee, HD Fowler President and Chairman Jed Fowler testified in favor of the proposal, saying “investing in our communities is fundamentally pro-business. A business can only be as strong as the community it serves. It’s better to grow the pie than to fight about slicing it. I am willing to pay this tax, I should pay this tax, others like me should pay this tax.”
HD Fowler is a family-owned distributor that specializes in waterworks, irrigation, pumps, and wastewater treatment equipment.
In a Thursday letter to HD Fowler customers, Fowler wrote that “I spoke from a narrow point of view: my own. After several humbling and informative conversations with my team and our industry partners, I realized this apology is needed.”
“I caused you to doubt the value of our relationship and I’m sorry for carelessly damaging that by being disconnected from your challenges and concerns.”
The letter also stated that he would step down as chairman effectively immediately. He will stay on as president.
“These actions will help refocus our leadership on the foundation of HD Fowler: you,” he wrote.
He added that he would donate 9.9% of his salary to several political action committees such as the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors Association and the Associated General Contractors of Washington and National Utility Contractors Association.
