(The Center Square) – As Washington Democrats consider potential tax increases to fill a massive projected budget deficit over the next four years, some lawmakers are pitching tax-saving proposals to help struggling Washingtonians.
Rep. Mike Volz, R-Spokane, has prefiled legislation to protect the most vulnerable from being taxed out of their homes.
The bill he is offering would provide a property tax evaluation freeze for seniors and disabled veterans.
“In my day job, I’m Chief Deputy Treasurer for Spokane County, and we collect property taxes, so we’re the villain sometimes,” said Volz in a Thursday interview with The Center Square. “We remind people we don’t set them; we just collect them within the laws.”
Volz said despite current laws that allow some seniors and disabled Washingtonians to receive exemptions or deferrals on property taxes based on income, his bill would further extend help by freezing the current property tax amount owed and only adjusting if that rate goes down.
“More and more we’re hearing from seniors on fixed incomes or a disabled veteran that they have their house paid for and they still can’t keep up with property taxes and a lot of them are paying more in property taxes than they ever paid for their mortgage years ago,” said Volz.
According to a news release emailed to The Center Square, Zillow’s county-wide housing report, showed the average home price in Spokane County has increased from $188,871 in 2016 to $407,157 by the end of 2024.
In checking with the county assessor in Spokane, Volz said there are currently about 3,000 people out of 230,000 tax parcels who are helped by DOR rules that allow exemptions and deferrals.
“But you have to be incredibly low-income, and a lot of people fall outside of that range,” said Volz. “This is trying to pick up the folks who fall outside of that program, because there’s still plenty of people struggling.”
The measure would include income thresholds, such that those who are elderly, but wealthy would not qualify.
Even as this bill seeks property tax relief, Democrats are considering potential increases in property taxes and other revenue generating proposals with the state facing a projected deficit of anywhere from $10 to $16 billion over the next four years assuming current spending levels remain in place.
“Democrats are going after this again and plan to raise property taxes even though clearly what we have is not a revenue problem, it’s a spending problem for the state causing this,” said Volz. “You can’t tax people into poverty and expect it to somehow benefit the state.”
As reported by The Center Square, Republicans were successful during the 2024 legislative session in getting Democrats to withdraw a property tax increase proposal.
“There is no magic bullet to make life more affordable for everyone in our state,” continued Volz. “But we can implement strategic, targeted policies that bring financial relief. We need to prioritize the health, safety, and well-being of our seniors and disabled veterans. This property tax evaluation freeze is less than budget dust to Olympia’s $72 billion budget.”
The Center Square reached out to House Speaker Laurie Jinkins, D-Tacoma, and Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle, for comment on the proposal but received no response.
The Department of Revenue did not respond to questions emailed by The Center Square.
The 2025 legislative session begins on Monday, Jan. 13, and is scheduled to run 105 days.
