Washington
Equitable (and Less Equitable) Washington State Revenue Raisers
April 24, 2025 • By Dylan Grundman O'Neill
Washington state came into the year with strong tax justice momentum. Lawmakers’ innovative Capital Gains Excise Tax on the state’s highest-income households was upheld by the state and federal Supreme Courts and was overwhelmingly affirmed by voters despite a well-funded repeal effort. The new tax is bringing in much-needed revenue for schools, child care, and […]
ITEP’s Who Pays? Cited in Washington Bill Creating Financial Intangibles Tax
March 24, 2025 • By ITEP Staff
Senate Democratic leaders in Washington state have introduced a series of bills aimed at making the state’s tax code more balanced. In the bill text for a new financial intangibles tax, ITEP’s Who Pays? report is cited: “Washington’s tax system remains the second most regressive in the nation as it asks those with the least […]
Washington State Budget & Policy Center: The Truth About Washington’s Revenue Shortfall
March 14, 2025 • By ITEP Staff
During the 2025 legislative session, Washington state lawmakers face a budget shortfall that threatens funding for the public programs we all rely on. Read more.
Gov. Jay Inslee: Gov. Inslee Releases Future-Focused Budget Proposal
December 18, 2024 • By ITEP Staff
Today, Gov. Jay Inslee released a balanced budget proposal that protects progress on the programs and services that working families and businesses depend on — public safety, education, early learning, housing and behavioral health. Read more.
2024 State Tax Ballot Questions: Voters to Weigh in on Tax Changes Big and Small
October 17, 2024 • By Jon Whiten
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.
Moving the Needle Toward Tax Fairness in the States
March 4, 2024 • By Jon Whiten
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.
Washington State House Democrats: WA Improves Tax Equity Based On New Report
January 15, 2024 • By ITEP Staff
Washington’s tax system is becoming more fair for working families. Read more.
Washington: Who Pays? 7th Edition
January 9, 2024 • By ITEP Staff
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 includes nearly all (99.3 percent) state and local tax revenue collected in Washington. As seen in Appendix D, the state’s new Working Families Tax Credit […]
Washington State Supreme Court: Opinion Upholding Capital Gains Excise Tax
March 24, 2023 • By ITEP Staff
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 pages 4 and 11 for ITEP citations)
Washington State Budget & Policy Center: New Reforms Bring Balance and Equity to State’s Tax Code and Economy
July 9, 2021 • By ITEP Staff
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 and focused advocacy by community leaders. By enacting a new excise tax on extraordinary stock profits (capital gains) and an expansive new tax credit for […]
Washington Governor’s Office: Inslee signs economic justice legislation to help working families
May 4, 2021 • By ITEP Staff
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 tax system fairer and more equitable. Read more
Washington State Budget & Policy Center: Why Now Is the Time to Pass a Tax on Extraordinary Profits
March 8, 2021 • By ITEP Staff
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 federal recovery funds fade away. Senate Bill 5096 would create a new 7% excise tax on extraordinary profits from the sale of financial assets (capital […]
Washington State Budget & Policy Center: Washington State’s Upside-down Tax Code is Even More Racist than You Think
February 12, 2021 • By ITEP Staff
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 immediately to reform many areas of public policy – from policing to housing, health care to employment – that serve to oppress Black, Indigenous, and […]
Public News Service: Will WA Lawmakers Tackle Tax Fairness in 2020?
January 3, 2020 • By ITEP Staff
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 Washington last in the nation in terms of tax-system fairness, with low-income residents shouldering the biggest tax burden as a portion of their income. Katie Baird, […]
Real Change: Study: Washington Bottoms Out on US Tax Assessment
October 24, 2018 • By ITEP Staff
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.
Seattle Met: Report: Washington State Taxes Are Still the Most Inequitable in the Country
October 18, 2018 • By ITEP Staff
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.
KUOW: Washington State Tops ‘Terrible Ten’ List for Taxes
October 17, 2018 • By Carl Davis
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.”
Budget and Policy Center: Washington State Again Ranks Worst In The Nation For Our State Tax Code
October 17, 2018 • By ITEP Staff
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.
Budget and Policy Center: Unacceptable. Washington Still Has the Nation’s Most Inequitable State Tax Code
October 17, 2018 • By ITEP Staff
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.
Low Tax for Whom? Washington is a “Low Tax State” Overall, But Not for Families Living in Poverty
October 17, 2018 • By ITEP Staff
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.
Low-Tax States Are Often High-Tax for the Poor
October 17, 2018 • By Carl Davis
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.”
Washington: Who Pays? 6th Edition
October 17, 2018 • By ITEP Staff
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 4% Top 1% Income Range Less than $24,000 $24,000 to $44,000 $44,000 to $70,100 $70,100 to $116,300 $116,300 to $248,200 $248,200 to $545,900 over $545,900 […]
Tax Cuts 2.0 – Washington
September 26, 2018 • By ITEP Staff
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 “Tax Cuts 2.0” or “Tax Reform 2.0,” which would make the temporary provisions permanent. And they falsely claim that making these provisions permanent will benefit […]
Most States Have Raised Gas Taxes in Recent Years
May 22, 2018 • By Carl Davis
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.
Washington State Budget & Policy Center: Five Essential Truths About Our State Tax Code
April 12, 2018 • By ITEP Staff
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…
