The Washington State Supreme Court found the State in “ongoing violation of its constitutional obligation to amply provide for public education.” On August 13, 2015, the Court imposed a $100,000-a-day fine on the state until a satisfactory plan to meet…
The kids are back in school – and last week the Washington Supreme Court gave the State Legislature an “F” for failing to adequately fund public schools across the state. Meanwhile, a new analysis by Standard & Poor’s concludes that growing income inequality is…
Given all of the recent talk about closing tax loopholes and deductions, here’s a chart showing sources of federal revenue. This chart is interesting because it comes from a recent report issued by the Senate Subcommittee on Investigations, which is…
As Washington voters consider their ballots in the final days of election season, there’s no doubt many are thinking about the economy. So where does Washington’s economy stand? Economic growth has finally begun to accelerate in 2012, with most sectors…
While short-term fixes to backfill +$10 billion in budget cuts since 2009 are essential to avoid further damage to Washington’s economy (62% of state spending goes to the private sector), the state faces some long-term structural problems with its tax…
Excerpted from Washington State Budget 101: Most states have an income tax that makes their tax system more equitable across all incomes and better ensures public revenues keep up with population and economic growth. That means other states have been…
Excerpted from Washington State Budget 101: While the legislature deals with budget gaps by cutting public schools, home health care for vulnerable seniors, preschool for low-income kids, and access to college, 100s of tax breaks for profitable corporations go unexamined.…
Excerpted from Washington State Budget 101: Washington’s tax code guarantees future revenue shortfalls Because of Washington’s heavy reliance on the sales tax, budget revenue doesn’t match growing needs for education, health care and other public priorities. People are spending more…
Every 2 years the legislature and Governor adopt a budget. The General Fund Budget is based on state tax revenues. In addition to the General Fund, the state receives money from the federal government for specific services, such as Food…
Washington legislators will convene a special session this fall to respond to a $1.4 billion drop in the state’s expected revenue for 2011-13, brought on by high unemployment and the lingering recession. State lawmakers have already slashed billions of dollars from…
