A lot of people are worried that Governor Chris Gregoire's proposed half-cent sales tax increase is too regressive a way to save basic state services.

University of Washington student leaders, however, announced today that they see the sales tax increase as "a step in the right direction," even if it's an imperfect way to save higher ed funding. Their bottom line: "Desperate times call for desperate measures."

A statement from the students is in the jump.

UW students call governor’s proposed supplemental budget “good short-term solution”

In response to Gov. Chris Gregoire’s proposed supplemental budget last week, which includes a half-penny sales tax increase to help stave off cuts to higher education, student leaders from the University of Washington expressed support of her proposal.

“This is a step in the right direction,” said Andrew Lewis, ASUW Office of Government Relations Director. “We are happy that Gov. Gregoire’s budget does a lot to stop cuts to higher education that would cripple accessibility and quality.”

This isn’t the UW student’s first time advocating for new revenue this year, however.

In early November, UW students released a set of policy proposals outlining potential options that could raise revenue for higher education. Among them were eliminating select tax loopholes on large research and development companies, allowing locales to levy small property taxes for local community colleges, and allowing the UW to diversify its funds to reap higher yields.

Lewis said that although the proposed supplemental budget would help the UW stave off a good deal of the potential cuts, students will still be lobbying for their three-point proposal in the upcoming legislative sessions.

“We’re going to be advocating for any type of revenue toward higher education,” Lewis said. “The governor’s proposal is a good short-term solution, and we also believe our proposal could create sustainable, long-term revenue for higher education in Washington.”

Although some students are wary of raising the sales tax and potentially making the state’s tax code even more regressive, students say that the massive cuts to higher education over the past couple years have made any revenue good revenue.

“Desperate times call for desperate measures,” UW sophomore David Wieland said. “The governor’s proposal isn’t perfect, but the positives far outweigh the negatives on this one.”

The ASUW is planning a sustained presence in Olympia during the special session, bringing down different students to share their stories and advocate for the UW.