An Everett lawmaker said today she will introduce a bill that could lead to reducing Boeing’s multi-billion dollar tax break if the aerospace giant trims its overall workforce in the state.
Democratic Rep. June Robinson said in a statement that the bill aims to ensure aerospace tax incentives are used to benefit the taxpayers in Washington,
“Other states require Boeing to bring jobs to receive tax breaks and it’s only fair that the citizens of Washington demand the same treatment,” she said.
Robinson was slated to appear at a news conference in Renton where results of a statewide survey were released that showed public support for tying the amount of a tax break with the jobs a company provides.
The poll found 67 percent of those surveyed either strongly support or somewhat support linking the tax breaks to maintaining aerospace jobs in the state.
EMC Research conducted the survey of 771 people from Feb. 2-8 and has a margin of error of 3.5 percent.
Robinson’s bill, coupled with the survey results, are the latest moves in the union-led effort to compel the state to claw back some of its generous tax incentives if aerospace companies don’t create and retain good paying jobs.
Unions representing Machinists and engineers, and their supporters in the Legislature, say the state gave Boeing too good a deal when it extended tax breaks in 2013 to secure the 777X program in Everett. Those tax breaks could save the aerospace giant as much as $8.7 billion in taxes through 2040, yet the firm can and has shipped jobs out of state.
Last week the House Labor Committee held a hearing on a bill that ties the level of wages with a company’s eligibility for a tax break.
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