Eyman's Initiative 900 failing in latest poll

SurveyUSA has a new poll out that shows voters actually voting down Initiative 900. In the poll 48% say they will vote no, while 45% say they will vote yes. 5% are undecided.

For an initiative that has drawn this organization as the only real organized opposition, those are excellent numbers. But polls have shown Eyman initiatives losing before (I-776 in 2002), and they've been wrong.

If I-900 does go down, we'll be more than delighted.

OFM Fiscal Impact Statement for I-900

The Office of Fiscal Management has released their fiscal impact statement for Initiative 900. It is as follows:

Fiscal Impact Statement for Initiative 900
Initiative 900 would reduce state sales-and-use tax revenue flowing to the state fund that finances general government services. It directs that 0.16 percent of this revenue go to a new Performance Audits of Government Account to pay for performance audits of state and local governments. An estimated $17 million would be deposited in the account instead of the state General Fund in the 2005-07 Biennium, and an estimated $25 million would be deposited in the 2007-09 Biennium. Tax revenue in the General Fund pays for state services including education, social, health, and environmental services, and general government activities

Assumptions for Fiscal Analysis of Initiative 900
The estimates of the amount of sales-and-use tax revenue that would be deposited in the Performance Audits of Government Account is determined by applying the 0.16 percent diversion rate specified in the initiative to the sales-and-use tax collections projected in the June 2005 revenue forecast produced by the state Economic and Revenue Forecast Council.

The General Fund reduction of $17 million estimated for the 2005-07 Biennium assumes an effective date for the initiative of Dec. 8, 2005. The General Fund reduction of $25 million that is estimated for the 2007-09 Biennium reflects the fiscal impact of the initiative over a full, 24-month biennium.

Permanent Defense will be making the OFM's fiscal impact statement available as a PDF from the Release Center.

No On I-900 Voters' Guide Statement

I-900 GOES TOO FAR AND WASTES TAXPAYER’S DOLLARS
Everyone wants government to operate efficiently, and performance reviews are a tool to achieve efficiency when done wisely and with common sense. But, this initiative lacks common sense:

1. Local citizens and their locally elected officials should establish their own goals and priorities, not Olympia;

2. Local governments will have to spend scarce staff time and local taxpayer dollars to collect data for the audits;

3. One size does not fit all. There are over 2,000 units of local government, from large metropolitan cities and counties to small rural mosquito control and irrigation districts. They all have different purposes and responsibilities. Is it really appropriate to compare a
unit of government of 300 to a unit of government of 300,000?

I-900 IS UNNECESSARY AND DUPLICATIVE

The 2005 legislature passed two performance audit bills, one for Department of Transportation programs and another for state agencies. Many local governments already provide accountability by conducting their own performance reviews. This initiative is an unnecessary duplication that would add another layer of government and cost tens of millions of tax dollars.

Before you vote, ask yourself – Would you really trust one partisan elected state official to tell your local government what to do?

WE HOPE YOU WILL ANSWER NO AND VOTE NO ON INITIATIVE 900.