State Supreme Court upholds lower court ruling that voids Eyman initiative to limit taxes

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — The state Supreme Court has upheld a lower court ruling that struck down a ballot initiative that sought to limit taxes.

A unanimous court said that Initiative 1366, sponsored by Tim Eyman, was unconstitutional because it violated the requirement that initiatives be limited to a single subject.

Three of the justices, writing in a separate concurrence opinion, wrote that they believed that the initiative also violated the constitution in another way: by essentially proposing a constitutional amendment — which can't be done by initiative in Washington state.

Voters last fall narrowly approved I-1366, which would have cut the sales tax by 1 percentage point beginning April 15 unless lawmakers allowed a public vote on a constitutional amendment requiring a two-thirds majority in the Legislature for future tax increases. Opponents, including two Democratic lawmakers and the League of Women Voters of Washington, quickly sued.