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Blame the Sales Tax: Legislature’s Democrats Cannot Agree on New Revenue
As the special session of the Washington State Legislature drags on into its second week with no end in sight, you can blame the sales tax. While there are many tax issues that have stopped negotiation’s progress, there’s nothing bigger than the state Senate’s $200 million proposal for a temporary surcharge of 0.2 percent in the state
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$800 Million From Where?: Gov. Won’t Veto Sales Tax, Senate “Wants Real Movement” From House
One day into a special session of the Washington State Legislature, Democratic negotiators for the state House and state Senate have agreed on a tax package of $800 million to help close the $2.8 billion state budget deficit, according to legislators. The House and Senate have not agreed on what specific
Analysis: Behind The Budget Crisis: State Government Size Remains Steady Over Last 25 Years—It’s Rising Costs That Are The Problem
Here’s something you wouldn’t know from reading the Seattle Times yesterday: the number of government employees in Washington state, as a percentage of the population, has remained relatively constant for the
Politics and Taxes: Liberal Democrats Want to Close Loopholes; Moderates Prefer a Sales-Tax Increase
There’s an old saying about the dynamics of the Washington State Legislature: It’s Republicans against Democrats, the House against the Senate and everybody against Seattle. But on Wednesday, March 10, as the regular session of the legislature was coming to a close and a special session to
House Proposes Raiding College Student Fees to Fill Budget Deficit, Singles Out University of Washington for Extra Cuts
Students at Washington state’s four year colleges and universities may be surprised to learn that the state House of Representatives has proposed channeling the mandatory fees students pay each quarter into the state’s general fund. The tax package the House released Monday seeks to avoid raising
House Tax Package: Important Precedents for Tax Fairness
On Monday, March 1, the state House of Representatives came out with its $857 million package of new taxes to close the $2.8 billion gap in the state’s $30 billion biennial budget. The House package was proceeded by the governor’s (Setting
Democrats Divided: Will Lots of Caucuses Help or Hurt Building Consensus on the Budget Deficit?
The Democrats in the state Legislature are awash in caucuses and deficits. In fact, this year, the $2.8 billion state budget deficit has led to the creation of new Democratic caucuses including the moderate Roadkill Caucus and a liberal group calling itself The Bunch. It isn’t clear, however,
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Setting a Low Bar: The Tax Exemptions Gregoire Won’t Touch
On Wednesday, February 17, Governor Christine Gregoire released her $605 million tax package to help close the state’s $2.8 billion budget deficit. Her proposal was meant to help get the Democrats back on track after a week of chaotic debates over repealing I-960, at a time when the legislature
Big Week for Taxes
It’s a big week for taxes in Olympia. Governor Christine Gregoire may release a revenue package to help close the state’s $2.8 billion budget deficit. She had promised to release a tax package after the state’s latest revenue forecast that came out on Friday, February 12, and increased
The One Percent Solution: 15 Legislators Introduce Bill to Raise Sales Tax
On Thursday, February 11, fifteen Democratic members of the state House of Representatives introduced a bill to raise the sales tax. This is the most significant revenue development of this year’s legislative session where lawmakers are struggling to close a $2.8 billion budget deficit.
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