Adam Smith's four maxims regarding taxation
As a follow-up to the Policy Brief we posted yesterday (Five Key’s to Evaluating a Tax System), here is the full quotation of Adam Smith’s four maxims on taxation:
June 14 , 2012 - Kriss Sjoblom
New Policy Brief: Five Keys to Evaluating a Tax System
We have posted a Policy Brief, Five Keys to Evaluating a Tax System, that explains the principles the Research Council uses when evaluating tax policies.
May 30 , 2012 - Richard S. Davis
2/3 supermajority for tax increases headed to Supreme Court after King County judge rules it unconstitutional
King County Superior Court Judge Bruce Heller today ruled that the voter-approved supermajority requirement is unconstitutional. The ruling puts the issue back in the hands of the state Supreme Court. Andrew Garber reports the decision in the Seattle Times. Patrick Peter Callaghan provides important background and context, including this. Three previous times the top court […]
May 29 , 2012 - Kriss Sjoblom
The Way We’re Taxed: A Brief History
Here’s a link to the WRC’s new policy brief: The Way We’re Taxed: Brief History.
May 22 , 2012 - Kriss Sjoblom
Increased Federal Tax on Sales of Partnerships Will Cost Washington Jobs and Income
Recent federal proposals would apply ordinary income tax rates rather than capital gains rates to gains from sales of investment service partnership interests. According to our analysis, this change could reduce annual personal income in Washington state by almost $300 million. Our Policy Brief on the subject is available here.
April 23 , 2012 - Richard S. Davis
Rockefeller Institute reports state collections recover nationally, not yet here
The Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government reports that two successive years of growth have pushed states’ revenues abover the pre-recession peak. The full study is available here. States’ tax collections grew for the eighth straight quarter at the end of 2011, for the first time topping peak revenue levels seen at the beginning of […]
April 20 , 2012 - Richard S. Davis
Another study finds not having an income tax is good for a state's business climate
The Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council is out with its annual business tax climate report. (Press release here and pretty cool interactive map here.) According to SBEC, Washington has the 5th best business tax system. SBEC constructs its index using 18 measures: The 18 measures are: 1) state’s top personal income tax rate, 2) state’s top […]
April 19 , 2012 - Richard S. Davis
The inequality debate and its progenitors
The New York Times runs an extended profile piece on Emmanuel Saez and Thomas Piketty, the two economists whose work underpins much of the current political assault on “inequality.” Last week, I posted here on the overhyped discussion, including links to recent research indicating that the Piketty-Saez analysis is fundamentally flawed. Simply: they ignore a lot of relevant things. In […]
April 18 , 2012 - Richard S. Davis
New Pew Center on the States report evaluates evaluations of tax incentives
In my column today, I comment on a recent report by the Pew Center on the States. The study, Evidence Matters, examines how states evaluate tax incentives. From the column: Pew identifies Washington as one of 13 states “leading the way” in the systematic evaluation of tax incentives. Washington’s review process does a good job […]
April 12 , 2012 - Richard S. Davis
Time to shed some light on the overhyped income inequality debate
It’s spring and soon the fair weather protesters will take to the warming streets to denounce income inequality once again. The chants of the 99 percent, however, should fade in the face on an increasing body of economic research that reveals the hollowness of their fundamental premise. The rich have not gotten richer at the […]