Eyman responds to critics, defends initiative Anti-tax crusader denounces scare tactics by area leaders.

Calling Initiative 864 "meaningful, good for taxpayers and really overdue," Mukilteo businessman and anti-tax crusader Tim Eyman lauded his latest proposal to cut taxes, and refuted criticism by city and county government officials, saying voters would not pay attention to it.

Eyman started out by saying that in 1980 "the state paid $1 billion in property taxes, while in 2003 we paid $6.25 billion." While noting that those amounts were not adjusted for annual inflation rates, he called the increase "obscene and unsustainable.

"It's a six-fold increase in property taxes," he said. "If we do nothing about it in our state, in another 20 years it's going to be $36 billion dollars. There is no way an economy can handle such weight."

Eyman said that I-864 does not touch voter-approved levies, does not touch taxes that go to school or education, and that its passage would mean a boost for the economy, which he described as not growing fast.

He added that if tax relief is good for Boeing, then it should be good for everybody else, referring to the tax relief package the state awarded the airplane-making giant.

"Locke and the Legislature went 'let's give tax breaks to Boeing and everybody else eat cake,'" he said. "I happen to believe tax breaks are good for the economy. We should be able to provide it for everybody, both businesses and individuals."

Eyman mentioned what he saw as fringe benefits of passing such an initiative. "It will finally ensure that government will reform itself," he said. "The only time it reforms itself is when it faces a fiscal challenge."

As an example, Eyman offered the $2.7 billion deficit faced by the state last year. "They balanced that budget, they were able to reform their spending and prioritize without raising taxes," he said. "If reforming spending is good enough for state governments, it should be good enough for local governments."

Asked about the reasons why people should sign up and later vote in support of I-864, he said that while some vote in order to glean tax relief, and others vote to cause government to reform itself, a third group does it to send a message.

The message, he said, is "We (taxpayers) are the ones paying the bills," Eyman said. "Don't forget about us when making a spending decision. Government is never going to reform itself if it's sitting there fat and happy."

Regarding the concerns expressed by city authorities, Eyman said voters have learned to discount what he termed as the "Chicken Little rhetoric" of politicians.

"(Voters) have learned that it is par for the course," he said, denouncing a lack of ideas to counter the property tax issue in the state.

"I haven't heard a one of them say 'this is our proposal to reduce property taxes,'" he said. "They say 'tough it out' to taxpayers. That is not a realistic response. Who works for who?" he asked.

Eyman said taxpayers are raising their voices about high property taxes, and that elected officials should count themselves lucky that the initiative does not cut them even more. "This initiative barely registers on the property-tax Richter scale," he said.

In addition, Eyman said that there is no doubt politicians are going to have to work harder if I-864 passes. "They are going to have to earn their money. They ought to work hard for the money that they get paid," he said.