Recent Press- WA revenue forecast: flat but 'awesome' - Spokesman.com - Feb. 16, 2012 February 19, 2012
- Most Issaquah representatives support ‘historic’ same-sex marriage bill : The Issaquah Press – News, Sports, Classifieds and More in Issaquah, WA February 12, 2012
- Join 48th Legislative District lawmakers for town hall meeting : The Issaquah Press – News, Sports, Classifieds and More in Issaquah, WA February 9, 2012
- House GOP lays out education budget - The Politics Blog - The Olympian - Olympia, Washington news, weather and sports February 4, 2012
- Fund ed first, House Republicans say - Spin Control - Spokesman.com - Feb. 2, 2012 February 4, 2012
Category Archives: Tax Policy
More on the Slow Motion Default in Wenatchee
In December we passed a bill out of Ways and Means, and then the House, but not the Senate that would have allowed Wenatchee to solve its own problems about financing their money-hemorrhaging arena, the Town Toyota Center. The region … Continue reading
Washington State and local taxes drop to lowest level in 50 years
The DOR released this as part of their “Revenue Update” for the month. Washington’s state and local taxes (as a percent of personal income) dropped to their lowest level in 50 years in Fiscal Year 2009, according to new figures … Continue reading
Posted in Budget, Tax Policy
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Internet Sales Growth Explosive, Compared to In-Store Sales
The following article was sent to me by the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Governing Board, an organization representing more than half the states that charge sales tax. In it you see the shift to Internet retailing and the consequent … Continue reading
Posted in Budget, Tax Policy
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K-12 Funding Proposal – Additional Data
I am posting CSV versions of the two data tables as several people have requested the data in searchable formats. We are typically careful about doing this as people can manipulate the data in ways that say different things than … Continue reading
K-12 Funding Proposal – Local Levy Swap
I’m stepping outside my role as Ways and Means chairman to put out a personal proposal for comment. The idea described below is a big one, moving around about a billion dollars in property taxes that are used for the … Continue reading
Good Washington Post Op-Ed on Federal Budget
Rep. Alan Simpson (former GOP senator from Wyoming) and Erskine Bowles (former Clinton budget director) produced a difficult but rational plan for dealing with the pernicious federal budget/debt/economy problem. It’s difficult because it asks people to leave their sacred cows … Continue reading
Posted in Budget, Tax Policy
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School Levies
For the past two years we’ve had a group of technical experts working on proposals on how to fix school levies. They just released their report, available here. The report is amazingly detailed and is a great introduction into how … Continue reading
Posted in Budget, Education, Tax Policy
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Ross Elected chairman of Ways and Means
Earlier this week the House Democrats voted to make me chairman of the Ways and Means committee in the House, responsible for tax policy and crafting the biennial budget. I’m pleased that my co-workers believe I am capable of leading … Continue reading
Jobs Strategy
Our nation is in its worst economic crisis since World War II, 75 years ago. Washington is not immune to the national economy. Like almost every state we face crippling unemployment and many people have lost significant portions of their … Continue reading
Posted in Business Climate, Tax Policy
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Tech Jobs in Washington
Last week I met with the Washington Technology Industry Association (WTIA) to talk about their agenda for 2011. No surprise, it’s about jobs here in Washington. What surprised me was how they chose to spend their time in the meeting. … Continue reading
Posted in Budget, Business Climate, Education, Tax Policy
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