WRC

New policy brief: Washington Spending Review: Spending Up 44 Percent Since Pre-Recession Peak

Washington’s state and local spending increased dramatically coming out of the Great Recession as the state invested primarily in education to address the McCleary education funding lawsuit. With McCleary now in the rear-view mirror, there appears to be an enormous appetite among legislators for new spending on almost everything else. As the spending proposals begin […]

New policy brief: Washington Revenue Review: Revenues Are Still Growing Strong, But for How Long?

Washington’s tax structure brings in revenues that are proportional to those in other states. Meanwhile, growth in state and local taxes from 2015 to 2016 was highest in Washington. In its November revenue forecast, the Economic and Revenue Forecast Council estimates that near general fund–outlook (NGFO) revenue will be $45.799 billion in 2017–19, $50.002 billion […]

New policy brief: Initiative 1631: Putting a Price on Carbon

This November, voters are being asked to approve Initiative 1631, which would impose a fee on fossil fuels sold or used in the state. The fee would be based on the quantity of greenhouse gases released when the fuel is combusted. The initial rate for the fee would be $15 per carbon dioxide equivalent metric […]

New special report: Manufacturing Jobs Part III: A Costly and Uncertain Regulatory Burden Harms Competitiveness

Regulations serve an important role in our economy, but if they are too costly, they can have a negative impact. Consequently, cost-benefit analysis of proposed regulations has long been considered a best practice. Federal regulations could cost up to $2 trillion a year, and regulations are particularly costly for manufacturers. Washington ranks poorly in interstate […]

New policy brief: I-1634: Nipping Local Food Taxes in the Bud

Initiative 1634 will be on the ballot in November. It would ban local taxes on groceries (except insofar as they are subject to general state and local retail sales taxes). Although the impetus for the initiative is Seattle’s sweetened beverage tax, that particular tax would be allowed to continue. No other jurisdictions are considering grocery […]

New special report: Getting the Tax Structure Right: It’s Complicated

Read the full report here. Briefly: Charges that Washington has the nation’s most regressive state and local tax structure stem from a 2015 report by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP). The ITEP analysis contains a number of methodological flaws that lead it to overstate the tax burden on low-income households nationally and, […]