As you might imagine, the group calling for a "increased revenues" to deal with a projected $3.2 billion state budget deficit isn't exactly in the Republican camp.

Washington State Budget and Policy Center, the group behind the proposal to give a tax rebate of $85 per family to low and middle income families, has put out a position paper on the topic.

The policy center is an advocate for the poor. It used to have a different name, which escapes me at the moment. But don't confuse it with the "Washington Policy Center," even though both groups are named in such a way that you can't figure out what they heck they're all about, at least, not by their names.

Anyway, the rebate is not yet funded. But the state is setting up the program and getting its computers ready to start handing them out. In theory, it's a "rebate" because even poor people pay some sales taxes, but it's just a check. And since the basis for "rebates" is eligibility for the federal Earned Income Tax Credit, you could get some money back without every paying any in, at least, not in federal income taxes.

Whether there will be money in the 2009-11 state budget remains to be seen. But the budget and policy center says there should be. Sen. Joe Zarelli, R-Ridgefield, said that should be among the first cuts made to balance the next budget. Sen. Craig Pridemore, D-Vancouver, who sponsored the tax rebate bill, said it would not be among his first tax breaks to be eliminated. (I think he meant that some business tax breaks should go first.)

I would imagine Gov. Chris Gregoire and her fellow Democrats are muttering "not now" and wishing the policy center had held off its call for a tax increase until after the Nov. 4 election.

Here's the link to the Policy and Budget center brief.