Change real estate excise tax

I’ve always believed we all have to invest in our communities so we have what we need to be healthy and thrive. This year the House Democrats are offering the state a way to invest in what matters most to us, our schools. The problem is a tax system that forces middle class families to pay more than two to four times as much in taxes as a percentage of their income compared to top earners. One way we can help fix this upside down system is by supporting the proposal to change the real estate excise tax rates.

Owning a home is a great way to move into the middle class. But right now the seller pays a flat rate excise tax (usually passed onto the buyer) that does not relate to the value of the home. Why should a billionaire selling a $5 million dollar house pay the same tax rate as most of the rest of us who sell homes under $250,000?

Tell your legislators to support a real estate excise tax rate based on the property’s value, with a lower rate for the vast majority of sales of homes under $250,000.

Wayne Attwood

Spokane