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...
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...
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...
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...
Committee advances hunting, fishing fee bill
Two companion bills to increases the recreational hunting and fishing fee paid to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) have cleared their...
Tax structure bill clears committee amid concern
The House Appropriations Committee voted on April 22 after a public hearing to advance a bill that makes changes to the state tax structure...
Income tax bill advances
The same week a 2014 legal memo to the Seattle City council regarding a proposed “millionaire’s tax” was released, the House Finance Committee voted...
New tax to pay for wildfires?
Since 2009, the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has spent more than $700 million fighting wildfires. Sen. Kevin Van De Wege (D-24) and...
Seattle attorney memo sheds light on city income tax
One of the questions surrounding the city of Seattle’s 2017 income tax ordinance is what the city council was told by City Attorney Peter...
Senate approves House timber bill
The Washington Senate on April 16 voted 47-1 in favor of a bill intended to boost the timber industry in rural counties with higher...
Senate bill would change state tax structure
Despite a nearly $4.46 billion revenue increase from the 2017-19 biennium, some state lawmakers have introduced proposals to restructure Washington’s tax system. Among them...
Should outdoor rec sales be taxed?
Following significant budget cuts by the legislature following the Great Recession, the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has yet to resume...
Reeling in fish barrier removal proposals
Following a ruling last year by the U.S. Supreme Court upholding an injunction against Washington state, lawmakers are looking for money to fund hundreds...
Senate passes $52.2 billion operating budget
The Washington Senate on April 4 voted 31-17 to approve a $52.2 billion 2019-21 operating budget. Although state senators approved a version of ESHB...
Business owners concerned over income tax proposal
The latest effort this legislative session to enact a capital gains income tax via HB 2156 as part of the House 2019-21 operating budget...
Vape tax clears Senate committee
A Senate proposal to tax vaping products, also known as e-cigarettes, cleared the Ways and Means Committee on April 2 after some revisions. Although...
Senate budget includes income tax, reflects “shared values”
Although the Senate proposed $52.2 billion 2019-21 operating budget unveiled on Mar. 29 spends almost $700 million less than the House’s proposed budget, it...
Will new tax “vaporize” e-cigarette industry?
Washington state currently levies an excise tax on cigarettes and other tobacco products that during the latest fiscal year brought in $414 million. Now,...
State House budget proposal includes new taxes
Last week, the state Economic and Revenue Forecast Council released a report estimating that Washington will generate more than $50 billion in the 2019-21...
State revenue: how much is enough?
The latest report from the state Economic and Revenue Forecast Council (ERFC) shows that the Washington state legislature has $50 billion to spend for...
Will low carbon fuel standard move forward?
Now that a state House bill creating a low carbon fuel standard (LCFS) has cleared that chamber, it remains to be seen whether its...
LCFS proposal advances from House
After a lengthy debate on Mar. 12 that included over half a dozen amendments added to the bill, state House lawmakers voted 53-43 in...
Are lawmakers reviving I-1631?
Last November voters turned down Initiative 1631, which would have created a $15 per-metric-ton carbon tax and an oversight board composed primarily of governor-appointees...
Transportation package advances
A proposed 10-year transportation package to fund new infrastructure and court-ordered fish culvert projects cleared the Senate Transportation Committee after several amendments were incorporated....
Transportation proposal gets mixed review
Senate Transportation Chair Steve Hobbs (D-44) has unveiled a series of bills creating 10-year, $17 billion transportation package that includes a carbon fee and...
Another possible win for mass timber
Now that the Washington State Building Code Council and International Code Council (ICC) have incorporated advances in cross-laminated timber (CLT) technology, a bipartisan group...
Lawmaker proposes legalizing local income tax
Earlier this month, a group of Democrat state lawmakers submitted a brief in the lawsuit over the city of Seattle’s income tax ordinance arguing...
Casting for fish barrier removal funds
Now that the legislature has satisfied the State Supreme Court’s McCleary order, it now faces another court order to remove hundreds of fish barriers...
Mixed reviews for tax system overhaul
A Senate proposal creating a revenue reform task force is getting mixed reviews among members of the business community as to whether the state’s...
Lawmakers contemplate tolling authority change
As local cities and even counties consider ways to reduce congestion or improve revenue streams, one option is tolling city streets. It’s an idea...
Protecting Washington transportation revenue
One of the concerns Washington residents may have about a possible road user charge (RUC) to replace the state gas tax for funding transportation...
Funding raids endanger Washington infrastructure
As part of the McCleary compromise to fully fund basic education, the state legislature has dipped repeatedly into several accounts outside the general fund....
Investing in rural Washington
Though Washington is ranked by WalletHub as having the best state economy in the nation, often lost in the mix is the growing inequity...
To reform (or not) Washington’s tax system
If there’s agreement among policy wonks that Washington’s tax code needs to change, there’s equal disagreement over the nuances of that discussion and what...
Long journey ahead for road user charge
If Washington state ever adopts a road user charge (RUC) to replace the motor vehicle fuel tax (MVFT), it’s going to be a long...
Inslee’s budget proposal includes income tax
After unveiling a series of clean energy proposals earlier this week devoid of a new tax, Governor Jay Inslee is now proposing a nine...
Should Washington’s tax system change?
Many Washingtonians loathe the business and occupation (B&O) tax, and they’re not finished giving their thoughts on how to improve the state’s tax structure....
Fighting for future of farming
As the dust settles from the Nov. 6 election, members of Washington’s agricultural industry are preparing for next year’s legislative session and what they...
Time for a tax cut?
New tax revenue continues to pour into Washington state’s coffers, to the point where some government reform experts and state lawmakers say it’s time...
Treasurer opposes public bank
While a $500,00 state-funded study aims to create a proposal for a public state bank funded by taxes and fees, State Treasurer Duane Davidson...
Questions remain with AWC brief
Following the submittal of an amicus brief by the Association of Washington Cities (AWC) defending the city of Seattle’s authority to impose a local...
Voters reject carbon tax
Washingtonians overwhelming rejected a proposed carbon tax via Initiative 1631 during Tuesday’s election – by a 56-44 percent margin.
Despite numerous failed efforts to enact...
State revenue good, tariff impacts uncertain
Washington state continues to receive surplus revenue, while the impact of new retaliatory tariffs on exports remains uncertain. That was the takeaway from the...
I-1634’s fight against local grocery taxes
For some backers of Initiative 1634, the measure is meant to prohibit local government from enacting soda taxes out of fear that ordinances like...
AWC defends Seattle’s income tax
In a surprise move, the Association of Washington Cities (AWC) has filed an amicus brief to the State Supreme Court in defense of the...
How the state can invest in local growth
Before business growth or new developments can occur in a city, port or county, the conditions on the ground have to be right. To...
Study estimates carbon tax costs
When all’s said and done, a carbon fee proposed under Initiative 1631 would increase total costs for the average Washington household by $440 in...
