"Close on Budget Agreement, Still No Deal on Taxes"

Democratic House and Senate budget negotiators have reached agreement on a spending plan that they'll unveil to their caucuses today. Here's how Brad Shannon of the Olympian reported it last night.

The House hopes to give it a floor vote as soon as Friday, leaving just a couple days for the Senate to hear it briefly in committee then vote to concur.

House Ways and Means Committee chair Kelli Linville, D-Bellingham, said the agreement was reached this evening on major issues, including agreement on K-12 public schools and higher education. Negotiators in the two chambers are working out provisos and language, a task that likely would go well into the wee hours of Thursday.

Rich Roesler has more in his Spokesman-Review blog, including this bit on prospects for a tax package.

The budget does not include a proposed state income tax or three-tenths of a cent sales tax hike. Lawmakers have floated both ideas — which would need voter approval — as a way to offset hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts.

The income tax proposal now seems highly unlikely, and the sales tax plan appears to be faltering.

Shannon reports that three or four tax hikes are theoretically in play, at least for a while.

None seems likely, and for good reason as a couple of good editorials make clear.

Tracey Warner weighs the arguments of tax critics and tax supporters in the Wenatchee World.

People don't die for lack of tax hikes, [tax opponents] say.

Perhaps, but some people are dying for them.

And the Columbian editorial board says, "this is the worst time and the worst place to violate the 'no tax increases' principle."

Right.