Blog

A reminder: Washington leads the nation in liquor taxes

Beer drinkers may have caught a break when the House Finance Committee nixed higher beer taxes, but liquor drinkers get no such love. Here’s the Tax Foundation’s map of liquor excise taxes. Note Washington and Oregon come in #1 and #2. And then note the spread.  

Moving closer to internet sales tax — won't cure state budget woes

The U.S. Senate today took another step toward passing the Marketplace Fairness Act. The Hill reports, In a 75-22 vote, the Senate proceeded to The Marketplace Fairness Act, S. 743, which would empower states to collect taxes on purchases made online by consumers in their states. The latest vote suggests supporters of the bill are […]

New policy brief: House Finance Committee Considers Tax Increases

Our new policy brief on the House finance committee chair’s tax proposal can be downloaded here.

Most western states don't tax by-product fuel

A bill before the state house of representatives (HB 2038) would require petroleum refiners to pay use tax on fuels they use that are by-products of the refining process. Bill supporters claim that Washington is unusual in not taxing such fuels. This is not true. These fuels would be untaxed in 8 of the other […]

Six southern cities in top 10 fastest growing metros – Seattle is No. 15

At his Urbanophile blog, Aaron M. Renn looks at the fastest/slowest growing metros in 2012. The top five are Nashville, Houston, Austin, Salt Lake City, and San Jose (proving that people still know the way). Silicon Valley continues to attract, despite California’s notoriously bleak economic climate. The other cities are in states generally considered business […]

The R&D tax credit and the budget

In the Washington Technology Industry Association blog, Lewis McMurran writes about the Senate budget and the very-soon-to-be-released House budget. On the House budget, he says, It will likely look more like the Governor’s than the Senate’s.  We can anticipate at least $1 billion in new taxes or reducing tax incentives. We fully expect there will […]

Courting California: UT & VA Governors Want to Win Jobs from Golden State

California’s troubled business climate has become a punchline. Earlier this year, Texas Gov. Rick Perry ran radio ads in California urging businesses to check out Texas. Chief Executive magazine ranks California the worst state for business. The California Business Roundtable finds a majority of business leaders think it’s harder to do business in California than […]

Incentives (Still) Matter

News today that Boeing will be investing $1 billion and creating 2,000 jobs in South Carolina over the next eight years underscores the aggressive competition among the states. And, it shows that incentives continue to play a role in corporate investment decisions. Communities and states that understand that simple fact stand to gain. While we […]

Oil companies top the list of taxation heroes

In today’s Wall Street Journal, Merril Matthews debunks the enduring myth of the undertaxed oil company. …those special tax breaks just for the oil and gas industry don’t exist. <snip> Ironically, USA Today just published the top-10 list of companies that paid the highest U.S. income taxes as of 2012, and oil industry companies took […]

Business leaders concerned that Inslee's tax hikes will hamper growth

Since Gov. Jay Inslee announced a budget that raised taxes $1.2 billion over the next biennium, business groups have argued that many of the proposed hikes will depress economic activity. AWB president Don Brunell identified the clear immediate consequence. Families and employers pay the government more money. Washington Retail Association president Jan Teague has an […]