Blog

April 14 , 2015 - Emily Makings

The impact of higher cigarette taxes

Jan Teague of the Washington Retail Association had an op-ed in the Everett Herald yesterday on the implications of increasing the state cigarette tax. (Gov. Inslee included an increase in his budget proposal.) Teague writes about the impact on retailers: Cigarettes are also the top revenue generator for many small businesses, accounting for nearly 32 […]


April 10 , 2015 - Emily Makings

Carbon taxation in the offing?

Apparently some form of carbon taxation could still happen this year, despite the fact that it did not make it into either House or Senate budget proposal. It was a main source of revenue in Gov. Inslee’s proposed budget, but the House proposal would increase revenues in different ways. From Crosscut: House Environment Committee chair […]


April 08 , 2015 - Emily Makings

Policy Today: Competing State Budgets: Revenue Review


March 23 , 2015 - Kriss Sjoblom

New special report: Carbon Taxation

We have posted a new special report on Gov. Inslee's cap and trade proposal (SHB 1314) and Carbon Washington's carbon tax initiative. The brief can be downloaded through this link.


March 20 , 2015 - Emily Makings

Policy Today: Aerospace Tax Incentives – Is a Deal a Deal?


March 13 , 2015 - Kriss Sjoblom

Interstate comparisons of state and local government revenues

The Federation of Tax Administrators (FTA) uses four alternative metrics to rank states according to the amount of state and local revenue raised. These four metrics are (1) own source general revenue per capita, (2) taxes per capita, (3) own source general revenue as a percentage of personal income, and (4) taxes as a percentage […]


March 13 , 2015 - Emily Makings

WRC testifies on aerospace tax incentives

Today our president, Lew Moore, testified before the House Committee on Finance regarding HB 2147. Here is his testimony.


March 13 , 2015 - Emily Makings

Policy Today: Interview with economist Rick Evans


March 02 , 2015 - Emily Makings

Policy Today: Carbon Taxation


February 20 , 2015 - Kriss Sjoblom

Washington's forecasted revenue growth is better than that of the average state

A recent post at TaxVox (the blog of the Urban Institute/Brookings Institution Tax Policy Center) examines state government revenue forecasts fore fiscal years 2015, 2016 and 2017. State forecasters expect revenue growth to remain sluggish through fiscal year (FY) 2016 according to an Urban Institute analysis of agency reports. In FY17, states project revenue growth […]