New Cremation Tax Proposed

Note: we are sending this email to our King County readers because of its time sensitivity and its potential impact on residents. Please take a moment to read the email and contact your King County Councilmember if you are a King County resident. The information comes from our friends at the People’s Memorial Association.

Recently, the King County Council approved a $50 tax on cremation and slipped it into the 2008 Budget. The ordinance calls it a "fee" but it is, in fact, a discriminatory tax levied against the grieving relatives of a person who has recently died. It is hard to imagine a more callous tax.

A cremation tax will have a disproportionate impact on the poor and religious minorities. We are asking for your help to get this unfair tax repealed before it takes effect on January 1. Please take a moment today to call or email your County Councilmember and let them know that this is bad public policy and must be repealed.

More Information on Cremation Tax

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 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 can be found at the People's Memorial Association (PMA) website, or in this recent Seattle Times article.

Please call or write your County Councilmember today and tell them to recall this unfair tax.

Not sure which district you live in? Use this link to find your council member.
www.kingcounty.gov/council/councilmembers.aspx

Talking Points on the Cremation Tax (provided by the PMA):

• 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.

New 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.

Thanks for taking a minute to make your voice heard. Together we can make sure that cremation remains a simple and inexpensive option.