Politics rears head over Boeing state incentives

It took no time at all for politics to rear its head in Washington State over Gov. Jay Inslee’s proposal for an incentive package for Boeing in exchange for siting the 777X in Everett.

Republicans, who oppose any tax hike for any reason under any circumstances, wasted no time in raising questions over the transportation tax proposal, or even if there was a need for the incentives to clinch the deal.

The IAM 751 local, which has its own problems with its membership over the proposed give-backs in the contract extension, lost no time in marshaling a team to lobby the legislators.

The Tacoma News Tribune asks why a special session is needed at all.

The IAM members vote next Wednesday, Nov. 13, on the contract. It’s unknown yet how the Legislature dynamics will play out.

7 Comments on “Politics rears head over Boeing state incentives

  1. Once again this comment “republicans, who oppose any tax increase for any reason.” is simply ignorant. Not as wrong as “Democrats, who support every tax increase for any and all reasons,” but close. The state seems to get by with $17.6 billion a year in state tax revenues. The state house passed their last budget 81-11 despite those obsessively anti-tax Republicans.

    I might refer you to page 24 of this document, as an illustration that the parties have generally agreed to raise taxes for around a hundred years in the state of Washington;

    http://dor.wa.gov/docs/reports/2010/Tax_Reference_2010/06taxhistory.pdf

    • Once again this comment “republicans, who oppose any tax increase for any reason.” is simply ignorant.

      You ever heard of Grover Norquist and the tax pledge?

      Your ISP places you in Texas. We live here in Washington. We thinks we have a better understanding of today’s state politics in WA than you do from TX.

  2. Zing!
    Scott, what is the financial analysis of state expenditures (tax beaks) versus company economic impact ( including downstream effects) for Boeing and Washington state?

    I have to imagine it is a huge positive for the state for a relatively small investment for a clean sought after industry.

    Connor seems to be moving proactively to methodically stabilize the production and development paths for the next decade. I would bet the 787 execution embarrassed the company so much that they are bending over backwards to over deliver and under promise.

    • Grover is a Pennsylvanian and his opinion should thus be discounted. (So should the Bush family’s once famous “read my lips; no new taxes” pledge.) The ‘zing’ did not address the point at all; the tax rates have increased inexorably in Wa. for 100 years. This is just poor editorializing, imho. (My username kinda suggests I am in Texas today, but great detective work.)

      I am sure the state of Wa. benefits from Boeing mfg. I am also sure higher tax rates are probably not the solution to competitive manufacturing.

      http://www.rollcall.com/news/being_no_1_in_tax_rates_regulations_isnt_helping_us_economy_commentary-228138-1.html

      I suppose Obamacare also is budget neutral/positive, according to some gamed analyses. Maybe the site should focus on that next, and just jump overtly into politics unrelated to aerospace. The attempt/effort to regionalize/politicize readership is fine, it’s your blog.

      I am done.

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