Recent Press- ACLU Criticizes Proposed Gang-Free Zones, And Why Does Washington Have A B&O; Tax? May 10, 2012
- State's expensive love affair with 4-wheel drive hybrid SUVs | Local News | The Seattle Times April 30, 2012
- Can more rigorous academics help Rainier Beach? | Local News | The Seattle Times April 30, 2012
- State coffers won’t require new revenue, Inslee says | The Olympian - The News Tribune April 22, 2012
- Inslee: No new taxes needed to fund education - seattlepi.com April 21, 2012
Category Archives: Tax Policy
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
Comments Off
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
Comments Off
Sales Tax Exemption for Canadian Residents?
British Columbia is making a minor change in their sales tax today that for some incomprehensible technical reasons winds up exempting all of their residents from paying sales tax in Washington. The City of Bellingham and Whatcom county will be … Continue reading
Posted in Tax Policy
Comments Off
Tax Evasion for Dummies, the video
During the session this year I did a number of presentations of a slideshow on how people evade taxes in Washington and the key points of a bill that would limit the ability for some of these scams to work. … Continue reading
Posted in Tax Policy
1 Comment
What’s candy?
This year the Legislature extended the sales tax to candy. Earlier this week the Dept. of Revenue released a list of products that will be taxed. The list also identifies similar items that don’t fall under the definition of “candy” … Continue reading
Posted in Tax Policy
Comments Off
WA “Economic Nexus” bill dinged by Tax Foundation
The Tax Foundation, one of my personal favorite conservative tax research organizations, wrote about a new law passed this year by the Legislature. The bill attempts to level the playing field between in-state and out-of-state companies by taxing them the … Continue reading
Posted in Tax Policy
Comments Off
Tax Freedom Day?
One of my favorite thinktanks (The Tax Foundation – www.taxfoundation.org) a conservative tax research organization releases an annual report listing “tax freedom day” for each state. This is the day when you’ve finished paying your combined state, federal, and local … Continue reading
Posted in Tax Policy
Comments Off
What’s a Tax Loophole?
When you and I sell our homes, we pay real estate excise tax. So how come some businesses don’t pay it on multi-million-dollar transactions? If we hire contractors to remodel our homes, those contractors must charge sales tax on their … Continue reading
Posted in Tax Policy
1 Comment
Taxing Gold Bullion?
One of the first things new legislators say to me when they review the “Tax Exemptions 2008” report from the department of revenue is that we should eliminate the tax exemptions for gold bullion and bull semen sales. They stick … Continue reading
Electronic Tax Filing
Last year we passed legislation requiring businesses to file their tax payments and returns electronically. The intent is to save significant time and effort in the Department of Revenue (DOR) processing paper forms. This will also cut down on errors … Continue reading
Posted in Tax Policy
Comments Off