Tourism: Marketing Washington’s appeal
After seven years as the only state with no tourism agency, the state legislature in 2018 revamped those efforts by creating the Washington Tourism...
Restructured excise tax could harm business, development
In a move that has stakeholders raising red flags about business investment in Washington and housing affordability, the state legislature earlier this year approved...
Tour highlights state’s manufacturing sector
The state of Washington’s manufacturers has gained the renewed attention of state lawmakers and business groups interested in the sector’s long-term health, and the...
Plaintiffs target Sound Move car tab
Now that Sound Transit has rejected a settlement offer in a lawsuit filed against its ST3 motor vehicle excise tax (MVET), the plaintiffs want...
Seattle “all over the place”: Income isn’t money
Throughout the two-year court fight over Seattle’s income tax ordinance, the city has argued that the tax doesn’t violate the state constitution or state...
Rent control could prompt housing shortage
The average monthly rent for an apartment in Seattle is $2,130, a three percent increase from 2018, according to Rent Café. In July 2016,...
Crafting smart state tax policy
Tax policy analysts featured at the Association of Washington Business 2019 Policy Summit on Sept. 18 agree on one thing: the state tax code...
WSDOT: State transportation system on “glidepath to failure”
Beginning in the 2021-23 biennium, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) will no longer pave highway ramps or sections of the freeway where...
Chelan PUD voices support for Snake River dams
The Chelan PUD commissioners this week voted unanimously in favor of a resolution opposing the removal of eight dams on the lower Snake River....
Trade war slows freight activity
The ongoing trade war between the U.S. and China has put the damper on freight activity – not just for Washington state but across...
Capital gains income tax proposals loom next session
This year’s legislative session saw several unsuccessful proposals to enact a capital gains income tax. Comments made by lawmakers at a Sept. 13 House...
Plaintiffs warn of “grave financial doom for Sound Transit,” offer settlement
Just days after the State Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a lawsuit against Sound Transit’s ST3 motor vehicle excise tax (MVET), the plaintiffs...
Planners should rethink growth strategies, says Strong Towns advocate
By 2040, Washington state is estimated to have a population of almost 9 million residents; that’s an increase of 1.4 million from its current...
Sound Transit fumbles facts with vehicle tax
An unexpected wrench has been thrown into the cogs of Sound Transit’s legal defense of its new motor vehicle excise tax (MVET) as part...
Auditor: Inspections delinquent for thousands of elevators
A new report by State Auditor Pat McCarthy has revealed that the state Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) is years behind on thousands...
Court asked to reconsider income tax ruling
The Washington State Division 1 of the Court of Appeals issued a ruling on the city of Seattle’s income tax ordinance that declared the...
Dealing with Washington’s drought
A drought was announced in Washington state in April, with 27 watersheds now included in the declaration. Although this hasn’t negatively affected some agricultural...
Washington fruit growers evade latest trade dispute
The latest escalation in an ongoing trade war between the U.S. and China has so far avoided hitting Washington fruit growers – while the...
Reforming the housing development process
Following a recent housing summit in Bellevue, the House Local Government Committee held a work session in Federal Way examining the various public policies...
Should Washington keep aerospace tax incentives?
In 2003, the state legislature approved a package of tax incentives related to the aerospace industry to ensure Boeing would produce its 787 in...
Long struggle ahead over water standards
The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administer Andrew Wheeler last week signed a proposed rule repealing its water quality standards and restoring less stringent...
“Cosmic Crisp” bred for Washington growers
After more than two decades of development in collaboration with the Washington State University Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center, Washington producers plan to...
The fight to fully fund guest worker program
Washington farmers in recent years have increased the number of applications for H-2A guest worker visas while the federal government has decreased funding to...
Single-payer system would require $28 billion in new taxes
This year the state legislature passed SB 5526 which created a standardized health plan through the public health care exchange. Business and industry groups opposed...
Lake Washington ferry service planned
A pilot program is in the works by a private developer to offer ferry service routes from South Lake Union to the 17-acre Southport...
Seattle income tax set for high court showdown
In a new ruling the Washington State Division 1 of the Court of Appeals has struck down the city of Seattle’s 2017 local income...
Addressing Washington’s housing affordability crisis
A housing summit in Bellevue involving various stakeholders from the private and public sectors could represent a turning point in a statewide housing crisis...
Navigating Washington’s housing crisis
Housing unaffordability similar to conditions in California was forecasted for Washington state during a July 8 housing summit in Bellevue. Whether or not Washington...
Is California Washington’s housing future?
Washington is experiencing a statewide housing shortage problem that is unlikely to change anytime soon, according to Washington Center for Real Estate Research (WCRER)...
Janus one year on – what’s next?
Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s Janus decision one year ago in which the court ruled that requiring public employees to pay union dues violated...
New taxes for transit?
Investments at the local and state levels on transit throughout Washington state isn’t keeping pace with economic growth, and new revenue sources such as...
Washington’s economy remains steady
Washington’s economy continues to outperform the nation and pad state coffers – tade disputes between the U.S. and countries like China notwithstanding. The latest...
The world of tomorrow with 5G
For enthusiasts of 5th generation (5G) mobile networks technology in the private sector, it’s hard to understate the positive impacts. The expansion alone is...
Seattle biz community hopes for “change election”
Last year, backlash from Seattle’s business community and other Seattleites led to the repeal of the city’s $275-per employee job tax. At the time,...
State sues EPA over water quality standards
Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson has filed a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for repealing water quality standards that overrode those...
Swapping sales tax exemption for a refund: Will it work?
An upcoming change to the state sales tax exemption for nonresidents and the reaction by different business entities reflect the diversity of Washington’s economic...
Locals headed to small biz boot camp
Recent tariffs imposed by the U.S. on Chinese imports continue to affect small business members such as Krystal and Blake Garfield with the family-owned...
Shipping hub feels squeeze of regional growth
Santa’s workshop may be in the North Pole, but he has an outpost tucked away nearby in a place you might not expect: Tukwila,...
Lawmakers: Veto bank tax bill
Several top-ranking Republican state lawmakers and a Democrat senator are calling on Governor Jay Inslee to veto SHB 2167, arguing it was passed by...
EPA reverses water quality rule
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reversed its 2017 decision to override a water quality rule adopted by the Washington Department of Ecology with...
Urban density bill signed by Inslee
Governor Jay Inslee has signed E2SHB 1923 sponsored by Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon (D-34) into law – a bill that supporters hope will increase housing...
EPA to reconsider state fish consumption rule?
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) two years ago overrode a new water quality rule adopted by the Washington Department of Ecology with its own...
The future of Washington’s small forestland
A new study authorized by the state legislature will determine how much small forestland remains in Washington state, along with ways to encourage the...
Ensuring a future for small forestland
Washington state lawmakers this session approved ESSB 5330 directing the University of Washington School of Environmental and Forest Sciences to look at the economic...
Stakeholder: Legislative run on banks sends “chilling message”
Now that the state legislature has approved a bill imposing a new tax on financial institutions, Washington bankers are scrambling to find out what’s...
Lawmakers approve tax exemption extension
While Washington state lawmakers have approved a list of new taxes as part of the 2019-21 operating budget, one industry managed to receive a...
Healthcare “standardized” plan proposal passes
The Washington state lawmakers in the final days of session approved legislation intended to lower healthcare costs, but opponents say it will have the...
Legislature approves new taxes, $7.7 billion spending increase
While Washingtonians slept, the state legislature this weekend approved a $52.8 billion 2019-21 operating budget that includes a slew of new taxes, some of...
Senate approves hazardous waste tax hike
After extensive debate on April 25, the Washington Senate voted 27-22 to increase the Hazardous Substance Tax that currently funds the Model Toxic Control...
B&O tax hike for higher education?
The House Appropriations Committee has voted in favor of a bill imposing a business and occupation (B&O) surcharge on various businesses with the money...
Senate passes vape tax
The Washington Senate on April 23 voted 35-13 in favor of a bill that taxes vaping products, also known as e-cigarettes. SB 5986 has...
