Close Big Oil Tax Loophole

Weakening or just maintaining status quo for environmental protections isn’t good enough–we need to move forward on environmental action. That’s why we should take action to close a tax loophole that benefits Big Oil. The WA State legislature is in the midst of a short 60-day session. Things will move fast in Olympia, so we have to move fast, too. Please take a moment to write a letter to your state legislators supporting HB 2038. Below is some background information on the bill and a sample letter. We suggest that you customize the letter with a personal story explaining why funding education is important to you.

Thanks for your participation in our democracy!

Brian L. Gunn, WSPC, Chair

P.S. If you are interested in a resolution supporting this bill that can be adopted by any local organization you are a member of,


HB 2038: Closing the Big Oil Tax Loophole:
Oil companies like BP and Shell should be paying to clean up their pollution, not profiting from state tax loophole breaks.  But these and other oil companies are taking advantage of a tax loophole that was never meant for them.  The Legislature created this “accidental loophole” in 1949, before any oil refineries operated here.  Now, Big Oil profits from the system and avoids paying $41 million of their fair share of taxes.


SAMPLE LETTER

Dear ________

My name is _______, and I’m writing from _____, WA. (If you have any other credentials related to this topic, list them now.) I am writing to urge your support for closing the big oil tax loophole by passing HB 2038. Oil companies like BP and Shell should be paying to clean up their pollution, not profiting from state tax breaks. Especially breaks which were never intended for oil companies in the first place. Now, while Big Oil companies are making $128 billion in profits each year, they still benefit from this ‘accidental loophole’ and avoid paying $40.8 million in their fair share of taxes each biennium.

By passing HB 2038, we have the opportunity to take $40.8 million dollars each budget cycle and put it back into our schools and communities. We know growing our local clean energy economy is better for our future than throwing away money to dirty fossil fuels. All over Washington, ordinary citizens are standing up to coal companies and winning. Hundreds of thousands of people have voiced their concerns and pushed back on coal companies’ proposals in Bellingham and Longview. Washington residents have made their message perfectly clear: We don’t want the state to invest in fossil fuels.

Oil companies shouldn’t benefit from tax breaks while our schools scramble to meet their budgets and legislators scramble to fund education at McCleary levels. I urge you to put children’s education before subsidies for dirty oil companies and repeal the accidental big oil tax loophole. Vote ‘Yes’ on HB 2038.

Thank you for your time and consideration of this request.

Sincerely,

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