New Special Report on Manufacturing Jobs (Part I)
We’re out today with Part One of a series of special reports on manufacturing jobs in Washington state. “Rebalancing Priorities: The Case for Manufacturing Jobs, Part I” covers the role of manufacturing in Washington’s economy, and discusses Gov. Jay Inslee’s recent veto of a tax reduction for state manufacturing. Our series on manufacturing will focus […]
14th of July 2017
Our Seattle Times op-ed on manufacturing jobs & state tax policy
We have an op-ed in today’s Seattle Times on Gov. Inslee’s recent veto of a reduced Business & Occupation (B&O) tax rate for manufacturing companies in Washington state. We argue that manufacturing jobs are a crucial component of providing workers with good-paying middle-class jobs, and that tax incentives will encourage companies to come here, stay […]
13th of June 2017
Robots vs. Middle-class jobs
A recent blog post by James Pethokoukis at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), “Is automation really the worst enemy of the US middle class?,” adds perspective to the ongoing debate over how much impact robots and automation have on jobs: Automation is kind of like alcohol, which, as Homer Simpson puts it, is “the cause of, and […]
21st of March 2017
Special Report: Using Tax Policy to Promote Economic Vitality
Our latest Special Report, “Using Tax Policy to Promote Economic Vitality,” offers a comprehensive look at Washington’s system of business taxes and tax preferences. You can read the report here. Too often, tax preferences are portrayed simply as “breaks” that give certain industries and/or companies special (possibly unfair) treatment. But as our report shows, these preferences play a […]
19th of December 2016
2nd of October 2015
InFocus: Possible charter schools ruling re-do, construction jobs, paid family leave study
This week we’re discussing the Attorney General’s request that the state Supreme Court reconsider its ruling that charter schools are unconstitutional, the number of construction jobs staying essentially flat statewide, and a federal grant for Washington to study the feasibility of paid family leave implementation. In this episode:
6th of August 2015
Manufacturing Jobs: Lots of openings, not enough skilled workers
The Puget Sound Business Journal recently brought together a panel of Puget Sound manufacturers to discuss the problem, verging on crisis, of finding skilled workers. In a nutshell: “Manufacturers can’t find workers to fill open positions.” And these are good-paying blue-collar positions. Things have gotten so bad that several manufacturers, tired of waiting for educators […]
1st of August 2014
Seattle Times columnist writes about that mythical $8.7 billion tax break for Boeing: not a giveaway!
Erik Smith used our recent policy brief as a peg for an excellent column on tax policy in today’s Seattle Times. Though the Department of Revenue calculated it exactly as it was supposed to, a more realistic view is that the legislation costs taxpayers nothing. He summarizes, drawing on points we developed in the brief. […]
1st of May 2014
More details on Seattle's proposed $15 minimum wage
The Puget Sound Business Journal has a good overview. As the PSBJ reports, it’s complicated. Under the mayor’s proposal, which the City Council has to approve, businesses with fewer than 500 employees would have up to seven years to reach $15 an hour. But counting what is called “temporary compensation responsibility,” these small businesses would […]
13th of March 2014
Economists wrangle over $10.10 minimum wage, CFOs say increase will slow hiring
Among the challenges faced by policymakers (and that includes voters) trying to determine the effects of raising the minimum wage is sorting through the flood of conflicting information. Much of the conflict comes because people who are supposedly talking about the same thing are not, really, talking about the same thing. There’s a difference between […]