Stop the Cremation Tax !

  Action Alert from PMA

January 2008  

Greetings!

Just weeks after the voters mandated no new taxes; the King County Council approved a $50 cremation tax and slipped it into the 2008 Budget!   Unfortunately it will hit the poor and religious minorities the hardest.  The tax and ordinance went into effect on January 1st.    Please take a moment to call or email your County Councilmember and ask them to support Councilmember Pete von Reichbauer’s proposal to hold a hearing on the issue. 

Cremation Tax Buried in County Budget

Buried deep in the 2008 King County Budget is a new $50 tax on cremation in King County.  It was approved by the County Council without any input from either the funeral industry, consumer groups or the general public. It is an unfair and discriminatory tax and hits particularly hard on those who are poor or whose religion requires cremation such as Buddhists, Sikhs and Hindus.  The tax does not apply to those who choose the more expensive option of burial.   A family spending $25,000 on burial would not be subject to the tax, but someone spending $650 on cremation would--it is extremely regressive.  More information      Seattle Times Article

 

 

No Cremation Tax Website

A new website has been created to keep people up to date on the status of the repeal effort.  Check it out at CremationTax.com

 

 

Talking Points on the Cremation Tax:

     It discriminates against those whose religion requires  cremation such as Buddhists, Sikhs and Hindus

     It falls hardest on the poor who may not be able to afford burial

     Funding for the Medical Examiner's Office should come from the general fund, not a tax on cremation

     The ordinance will delay the cremation process for at least 24-48 hours--affecting some 8,000 grieving King County families a year

     The ordinance is an ineffective way of dealing with the real problem--the reporting of the true cause of death

     The cremation tax and ordinance are bad public policy and should be repealed. 

 

 

Sample Email to your Councilmember:

copy and paste:

 

Dear Councilmember ___________,

 

As one of the constituents in your district, I am very disappointed to hear about the cremation tax which was added to the 2008 budget and passed by the county council.  While the council may have met the minimum legal requirements by posting it on the agenda, the issue has not had a fair hearing from either the funeral industry nor consumer groups.  I support the proposal by councilmember Pete von Reichbauer to hold public hearings on this ordinance and tax.  The voters made it clear in November that they wanted no new taxes! 

 

The cremation tax is extremely regressive. It penalizes the poor and those whose religion requires that they be cremated rather than buried.  The ordinance does not address the real cause of the problem.  If the Medical Examiner's office needs additional funding, it should come from the general fund, not from a tax on the poor and disenfranchised at one of the most vulnerable times in their lives. 

 

  

Contact Info

Unsure which District you're in?  

King County Councilmembers:

Bob Ferguson
District 1
206-296-1001
bob.ferguson@kingcounty.gov

Larry Gossett
Outgoing Chair, District 2
206-296-1002
larry.gossett@kingcounty.gov

Kathy Lambert
District 3
206-296-1003
kathy.lambert@kingcounty.gov

Larry Phillips
District 4
206-296-1004
larry.phillips@kingcounty.gov,

Julia Patterson
Council Chair-Elect, District 5
206-296-1005
julia.patterson@kingcounty.gov

Jane Hague
Council Vice Chair, District 6
206-296-1006
jane.hague@kingcounty.gov

Pete von Reichbauer
District 7
206-296-1007
pete.vonreichbauer@kingcounty.gov

Dow Constantine
District 8
206-296-1008
dow.constantine@kingcounty.gov

Reagan Dunn
District 9
206-296-1009
reagan.dunn@kingcounty.gov