Seattle Times: Coalition Abandons Initiative Requiring Legislature to ‘Balance’ Washington’s Tax Code

It’s no great secret that Washington state has a regressive tax system, meaning people with modest incomes pay a comparatively high share of it in state and local taxes. The poorest fifth pay about 17 percent of their income in state and local taxes, while the wealthiest 1 percent pay 2.4 percent, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that favors progressive taxes, such as income taxes.But voters have soundly rejected efforts to create a state income tax, most recently voting down a 2010 initiative that would have imposed an income tax on households earning $200,000 or more for individuals and $400,000 for married couples. Read more