Billionaire Paul Allen wants wildlife traffickers to feel a bit more pain. Professional initiative sponsor Tim Eyman wants state lawmakers to feel a bit of pain too.
Both men are sponsors of ballot measures that are likely to qualify for Washington’s November ballot. Petitions to qualify for the ballot were due Thursday at the Secretary of State’s office.
The threshold to qualify for the ballot is 246,000 valid voter signatures. Both campaigns submitted many more than that.
The Paul Allen measure would stiffen penalties for individuals who smuggle and trade in ivory and other products made from animals that are threatened globally because of poaching. The Tim Eyman measure would reduce Washington’s sales tax rate by one penny unless state lawmakers approve a constitutional amendment to require a two-thirds vote to raise taxes.
Eyman calls his a Taxpayer Protection Act. The Paul Allen measure is described as “Protection of Species Threatened with Extinction.
The wildlife initiative has raised $1.6 million so far, most of it from Paul Allen. Tim Eyman has raised $1.2 million with large checks coming from wealthy businessmen like Clyde Holland and Kemper Freeman.
