Oregon Public Broadcasting

In a major development in the  Washington legislature, majority Democrats in the Senate are backing off a plan to put a tax measure on the November ballot.

That’s because of a new poll that shows the public’s appetite for taxes is lukewarm at best. Olympia correspondent Austin Jenkins has details.

The poll – commissioned by hospitals and other healthcare groups - finds that more than fifty percent of Washington voters might go for a temporary sales tax increase. But support is soft and not enough to guarantee success at the polls this fall.

As a result, Senate Democrats have met and decided not to move forward with a sales tax or -- alternatively -- an income tax proposal this year.

A spokesman for the Washington State Senate Democrats says,  “The caucus decided that any revenue package would likely be perceived by the public as making the economic recession worse so there’s no support for sending a ballot measure to the public to raise taxes.”

The sudden turnaround came on the same day House Democrats held a hearing on a proposal to raise Washington’s sales tax by .3 percent.

The sponsor of that proposal -- Representative Eric Pettigrew -- says he plans to continue pushing his measure in the House.