US Edition
King County Approves Sales Tax to Avert Public Safety Cuts Amid $160M Deficit
KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON, JUL 22 – The new 0.1% sales tax aims to generate $95 million annually to prevent cuts to sheriff deputies, prosecutors, courts, and behavioral health services, officials said.
- In an 8-1 vote Tuesday, the King County Council approved a 0.1% sales and use tax, aiming to close a $160 million deficit and taking effect October 1, 2025.
- Earlier this year, the executive’s office circulated a memo warning of service cuts, as state law limits property tax growth to 1% while inflation outpaced it, shrinking revenues and leading to a $180 million deficit for 2026-27.
- All revenue from the new tax will be dedicated exclusively to criminal justice, behavioral health and public safety systems, King County Executive Shannon Braddock said, and the measure is expected to generate $95 million annually.
- The measure prevents layoffs in the Sheriff’s Office, Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and Department of Public Defense, King County Council Budget Chair Rod Dembowski said.
- Beginning January 1, 2026, the tax will position King County among the highest taxed counties in the state, and councilmembers are counting on Olympia legislators for a long-term solution while final spending is determined in the fall budget process.
12 Articles
12 Articles
The Center Square
King County OKs 0.1% public safety sales tax; Braddock promises fall spending plan
(The Center Square) – The King County Council voted 8-1 on Tuesday to approve a new sales tax that broadly goes toward public safety programs, despite concerns about approving another
King County’s new public safety tax puts county among highest taxed in WA
After hearing public comment, mostly in favor, and debating the measure, the King County Council voted 8-1 to pass a new criminal justice sales and use tax. The one-tenth of 1% tax adds about 10 cents to a $100 purchase.
King County's new tax puts it among highest taxed in WA
After hearing public comment, mostly in favor, and debating the measure, the King County Council voted 8-1 to pass a new criminal justice sales and use tax. The one-tenth of 1% tax adds about 10 cents to a $100 purchase. “A sales tax is not the tool that any of us would have chosen in an ideal world, but the legislature didn’t give us a menu of options,” King County Council Member Girmay Zahilay said. “They gave us one tool, and it’s the only to…
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