Sore losers. That’s what Washington anti-tax activist Tim Eyman called opponents of Initiative 1366 Tuesday. This after they filed a lawsuit in King County Superior Court to block the tax-limiting measure voters recently passed.
I-1366 aims to get Washington lawmakers to adopt a constitutional amendment to require a two-thirds vote for tax hikes. The penalty if they don’t: the state sales tax drops by a penny on the dollar next April.
Opponents argue the Tim Eyman initiative is unconstitutional on several fronts. They say it usurps the legislature’s power and violates the single-subject rule for initiatives. They also say it forces lawmakers to make a Faustian choice between an untenable tax cut or an unconstitutional constitutional amendment.
The opponents behind the lawsuit include two Democratic state lawmakers and the League of Women Voters. In response, Eyman says 1366 was “carefully drafted to avoid any political and legal landmines.”