As we approach November’s election, voters in several states will be weighing in on tax policy changes. The outcomes will impact the equity of state and local tax systems and the adequacy of the revenue those systems are able to raise to fund public services.
Washington
-
blog October 17, 2024 2024 State Tax Ballot Questions: Voters to Weigh in on Tax Changes Big and Small
-
blog March 4, 2024 Moving the Needle Toward Tax Fairness in the States
While many state lawmakers have spent the past few years debating deep and damaging tax cuts that disproportionately help the rich, more forward-thinking lawmakers have improved tax equity by raising new revenue from the well-off and creating or expanding refundable tax credits for low- and moderate-income families.
-
ITEP Work in Action January 15, 2024 Washington State House Democrats: WA Improves Tax Equity Based On New Report
Washington’s tax system is becoming more fair for working families. Read more. -
January 9, 2024 Washington: Who Pays? 7th Edition
Washington Download PDF All figures and charts show 2024 tax law in Washington, presented at 2023 income levels. Senior taxpayers are excluded for reasons detailed in the methodology. Our analysis… -
ITEP Work in Action March 24, 2023 Washington State Supreme Court: Opinion Upholding Capital Gains Excise Tax
In 2021, the Washington Legislature enacted a capital gains tax, levied at a rate of seven percent on the sale or exchange of certain long-term capital assets. Read more. (See… -
ITEP Work in Action July 9, 2021 Washington State Budget & Policy Center: New Reforms Bring Balance and Equity to State’s Tax Code and Economy
People seeking a more equitable state tax code and stronger supports for parents scored major victories earlier this year in Washington state, after more than a decade of hard work… -
ITEP Work in Action May 4, 2021 Washington Governor’s Office: Inslee signs economic justice legislation to help working families
Gov. Jay Inslee today signed an economic justice legislative package, including the Working Families Tax Credit and the capital gains excise tax, that starts the process of making Washington’s upside-down… -
ITEP Work in Action March 8, 2021 Washington State Budget & Policy Center: Why Now Is the Time to Pass a Tax on Extraordinary Profits
Members of the Washington State Senate have an historic opportunity to create a more just state tax code while bolstering and sustaining our state’s fiscal and economic recovery long after… -
ITEP Work in Action February 12, 2021 Washington State Budget & Policy Center: Washington State’s Upside-down Tax Code is Even More Racist than You Think
Lawmakers in Olympia are finally listening to communities and rightly focusing on addressing racial disparities that have permeated our state economy and institutions for far too long. They must act… -
media mention January 3, 2020 Public News Service: Will WA Lawmakers Tackle Tax Fairness in 2020?
How can Washington state create a more just society in 2020? Two experts say the state should tax its way toward that goal. The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy ranks… -
ITEP Work in Action October 24, 2018 Real Change: Study: Washington Bottoms Out on US Tax Assessment
Guess what? Washington state’s taxation system continues to be one of the most regressive in the country.
This news comes from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), which did a deep dive into the taxation policies of all 50 states.
-
ITEP Work in Action October 18, 2018 Seattle Met: Report: Washington State Taxes Are Still the Most Inequitable in the Country
In Washington state, the less money you make, the larger your percentage of income goes toward taxes.
A study from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy released on Wednesday concludes that Washington state still has the most regressive taxes in the U.S., meaning the poorest households pay a disproportionate amount of taxes compared to the richest households in the state.
-
media mention October 17, 2018 KUOW: Washington State Tops ‘Terrible Ten’ List for Taxes
Washington State’s tax system is widening the gap between the rich and the poor. That’s according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) based in Washington, D.C.
“What you see is that Washington’s tax system couldn’t possibly be further from hitting people evenly,” Carl Davis said. “People are having to devote very different shares of their household budgets to funding state and local government.”
-
ITEP Work in Action October 17, 2018 Budget and Policy Center: Washington State Again Ranks Worst In The Nation For Our State Tax Code
Despite the many ways Washington state takes prides in its spirit of innovation, it still ranks dead last when it comes to its tax code, according to a new study by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP). Our state has the most upside-down tax code in the country, forcing people with the lowest incomes to pay 17.8 percent in state and local taxes as a percent of their income – while the state’s wealthiest residents pay just 3 percent.
-
ITEP Work in Action October 17, 2018 Budget and Policy Center: Unacceptable. Washington Still Has the Nation’s Most Inequitable State Tax Code
Washington state continues to have the most upside-down tax code of any U.S. state, according to a new report from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP). It wrongly requires people with the lowest incomes to pay six times more in taxes as a percent of their income than the state’s wealthiest residents to fund investments that benefit all Washingtonians.
-
October 17, 2018 Low Tax for Whom? Washington is a “Low Tax State” Overall, But Not for Families Living in Poverty
Washington’s tax system has vastly different impacts on taxpayers at different income levels. For instance, the lowest-income 20 percent of Washingtonians contribute 17.8 percent of their income in state and local taxes — considerably more than any other income group in the state. For low-income families, Washington is far from being a low tax state; in fact, it is the highest-tax state in the country for low-income families.
-
blog October 17, 2018 Low-Tax States Are Often High-Tax for the Poor
ITEP analysis reveals that many states traditionally considered to be “low-tax states” are actually high-tax for their poorest residents. The “low tax” label is typically assigned to states that either lack a personal income tax or that collect a comparatively low amount of tax revenue overall. But a focus on these measures can cause lawmakers to overlook the fact that state tax systems impact different taxpayers in very different ways, and that low-income taxpayers often do not experience these states as being even remotely “low tax.”
-
October 17, 2018 Washington: Who Pays? 6th Edition
WASHINGTON Read as PDF WASHINGTON STATE AND LOCAL TAXES Taxes as Share of Family Income Top 20% Income Group Lowest 20% Second 20% Middle 20% Fourth 20% Next 15% Next… -
September 26, 2018 Tax Cuts 2.0 – Washington
The $2 trillion 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) includes several provisions set to expire at the end of 2025. Now, GOP leaders have introduced a bill informally called… -
blog May 22, 2018 Most States Have Raised Gas Taxes in Recent Years
An updated version of this blog was published in April 2019.
State tax policy can be a contentious topic, but in recent years there has been a remarkable level of agreement on one tax in particular: the gasoline tax. Increasingly, state lawmakers are deciding that outdated gas taxes need to be raised and reformed to fund infrastructure projects that are vital to their economies.
-
ITEP Work in Action April 12, 2018 Washington State Budget & Policy Center: Five Essential Truths About Our State Tax Code
Unfortunately, many myths permeate the public discourse about our state tax code. At the Washington State Budget & Policy Center, we are committed to making sure you know the truth about that tax code – and the real solutions that must be enacted in Olympia to make it work for everyone. Because it is a tax code that doesn’t live up to our values. It isn’t set up to invest in our communities in the short and long term. And it is set up to favor corporations, special interests, and the ultra-wealthy over everyday Washingtonians. As a result, the tax code creates additional barriers to economic opportunity for many communities of color and people with low incomes.
-
December 16, 2017 How the Final GOP-Trump Tax Bill Would Affect Washington Residents’ Federal Taxes
The final tax bill that Republicans in Congress are poised to approve would provide most of its benefits to high-income households and foreign investors while raising taxes on many low-… -
December 6, 2017 How the House and Senate Tax Bills Would Affect Washington Residents’ Federal Taxes
The House passed its “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” November 16th and the Senate passed its version December 2nd. Both bills would raise taxes on many low- and middle-income families in every state and provide the wealthiest Americans and foreign investors substantial tax cuts, while adding more than $1.4 trillion to the deficit over ten years. The graph below shows that both bills are skewed to the richest 1 percent of Washington residents.
-
November 14, 2017 How the Revised Senate Tax Bill Would Affect Washington Residents’ Federal Taxes
The Senate tax bill released last week would raise taxes on some families while bestowing immense benefits on wealthy Americans and foreign investors. In Washington, 54 percent of the federal tax cuts would go to the richest 5 percent of residents, and 12 percent of households would face a tax increase, once the bill is fully implemented.
-
November 6, 2017 How the House Tax Proposal Would Affect Washington Residents’ Federal Taxes
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which was introduced on November 2 in the House of Representatives, includes some provisions that raise taxes and some that cut taxes, so the net effect for any particular family’s federal tax bill depends on their situation. Some of the provisions that benefit the middle class — like lower tax rates, an increased standard deduction, and a $300 tax credit for each adult in a household — are designed to expire or become less generous over time. Some of the provisions that benefit the wealthy, such as the reduction and eventual repeal of the estate tax, become more generous over time. The result is that by 2027, the benefits of the House bill become increasingly generous for the richest one percent compared to other income groups.