New brief: The Business Tax Burden in Washington is Above the National Average
State business and occupation (B&O) tax collections are up 258% since 2000. But businesses also pay sales, property, and many other state and local taxes. Indeed, businesses paid 49.7% of total state and local taxes in Washington in fiscal year 2022, according to a report from the Council on State Taxation. (Nationally, businesses paid an […]
January 08 , 2021 - Emily Makings
Taxes and competitiveness
On Dec. 31, the preliminary report of the Tax Structure Work Group (TSWG) was published (the technical notes are here). (I wrote about some of the findings after they were presented by the Department of Revenue to the TSWG last month.) As part of the report, the Department of Revenue contracted with Western Washington University […]
January 08 , 2021 - WRC
New brief: Washington’s Business Taxes Exceed National Average
In fiscal year 2019, Washington state’s tax code relied heavily on businesses, which paid almost half of state and local taxes. Washington businesses paid nearly a quarter more in state and local taxes per employee than the average of their counterparts in other states. On all measures, Washington ranked at or above the national average, […]
October 16 , 2020 - Emily Makings
Value of agricultural production in Washington was $9.495 billion in 2019, including a record high value of blueberries (as U.S. begins investigation of blueberry imports)
The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) reports that the value of agricultural production in Washington was $9.495 billion in 2019. That’s down from $9.682 billion in 2018. Value of production has been declining since it reached $10.719 billion in 2015. The top ten agricultural commodities in Washington in 2019 were apples, milk, potatoes, wheat, cattle, […]
October 02 , 2020 - Emily Makings
Increasing aerospace taxes would be counterproductive for Washington
The news that Boeing will move 787 production from Everett to South Carolina is disappointing, though not unexpected given the crippling effects of COVID-19 on airplane demand. Gov. Inslee and others have responded by suggesting that Boeing should be paying more in state taxes. In a statement, Gov. Inslee said, “Boeing’s decision to take the […]
August 31 , 2020 - Kriss Sjoblom
Unemployment insurance tax rates will be much higher next year
Unemployment insurance tax rates are adjusted annually and will be much higher next year. Most employers qualify to participate in the experience rating system. Under this system each employer is assigned to one of forty rate classes, based upon its benefit ratio, which is calculated by dividing total benefits charged to the employer’s account by […]
February 24 , 2020 - WRC
New brief: Washington’s Business Taxes Exceed National Average
Washington’s tax structure relies heavily on businesses. Before significant new taxes were enacted last year, Washington businesses paid about half of state and local taxes in 2018. That year, Washington ranked 6th highest in business taxes per employee, 18th highest in taxes as a share of business output and 13th highest in the share of […]
May 23 , 2019 - Emily Makings
Washington has a lot going for it, but could do better in many respects
U.S. News says Washington is the best state in America. Of course it is—it’s home. But from a public policy standpoint, that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement. Opportunity Washington wrote about the U.S. News rankings here, noting that there’s “an inevitable subjectivity to weighting and selection of metrics” in rankings like this. Indeed, […]
May 10 , 2019 - Kriss Sjoblom
From the New York Times: They Got Rich Off Uber and Lyft. Then They Moved to Low-Tax States
The article quotes former Uber employee named Brian McMullen who now lives in Austin, Texas: “I’m currently taking time off for myself,” he said. Mr. McMullen, 33, is part of an exclusive club: the semiretired tech millennial who left California after getting rich. Like many in this group, he is a newly minted multimillionaire who […]
September 05 , 2018 - WRC
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 […]