Happy Hour: Washington State Income Tax

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 09:41:33 -0800

A Note Upfront: I'm still doing some research on the pros and cons of building an Elliot Bay Bridge. In short, some of my discussions have lead me to believe that the environmental impact to the Puget Sound is, in fact, not worth it. But, I'll keep looking into it!

Now, I'd like to bring back an old favorite - the Happy Hour Open Thread! This time - The Washington State Income Tax.

When the voters of Washington State finally eliminated the Supermajority in 2007, I was ecstatic. The Supermajority was one of the things that the original founders of BD wanted to take on (when BD was a bit more politically active in "real space"). I then called for more structural change to take place in Washington State. Another "pie-in-the-sky" idea that, like removing the Supermajority, seemed almost unattainable - the removal of the sales tax and the implementation of a progressively indexed income tax.

Well, commentor Jim Tomlinson just left a comment on that old entry with this note:

I agree completely; Our sales tax is a ridiculously regressive way to raise revenue. We would have to eliminate it entirely (constitutional amendment?) in order to convince WA state voters to back an income tax. So, how do we accomplish this? Could both issues (eliminating the sales tax and instituting an income tax) be dealt with in a single initiative without running afoul of the one-issue-per-initiative rule the courts have enforced? This is really a hot-button issue for me; are there any in-state organizations working on this. I'd love to throw some effort behind making this happen.

So, how would we get this done? What's the best course of action? Can it be done inside of the initiative system or not?

What do you think? What do you know? Let's begin the discussion.

Supermajority Defeated ... Next Up, Income Tax Created!

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 08:54:37 -0800

A long time ago, when BD first started out... Well, things were different. A lot has changed, but one of the first things BD did was call for the elimination of the Supermajority. We talked about it a lot.

Hopefully, it helped get other people talking. And then they told two people, and they told two people... blah blah blah. And, a little over a week ago, Washington State, a state in which education is the constitutionally mandated first priority of government, finally put school funding on the same footing as politicians, propositions, presidents (well, most of them) and stadiums (oopss... again, most of them).

I always thought that ending the supermajority was one of the biggest steps that Washington State could take in making real, structural change towards a more equatable and prosperous future.

And, I always thought that the bigger issue, and the one that should be tackled next, is the elimination of the sales tax and the implementation of a progressively indexed income tax. Once again, it means a change to the state consitution. And, once again, the fight will have to be waged over several years to convince people that this is the direction the state needs to go in.

And don't think that this can't be done... the Supermajority was never suppose to be eliminated. Horsesass.org talked about it yesterday while presenting a link from a Spokesman Review editorial. Although the description of the link is a bit misleading in my opinion (the editorial is really about how to structure a more progressive property tax system with the legislature running back into session to reinstate the 1% cap from Eyman's recently-ruled unconstitutional I-747, not about the income tax), the rumblings are starting. The Spokesman Review editorial says only this about a state-wide income tax:

Spokesman Review : Another Way (Nov 20, 2007)
Washington state's tax system... the nation's most burdensome for low-income people... An income tax would also help, but that isn't popular with voters or lawmakers.

They're right. It isn't... yet. But that's because people don't necessarily understand it. Just like they didn't understand the Supermajority. In my mind, one thing is for sure - any talk of implimenting an income tax must be in combination with the elimination of the sales tax. People of this state will never agree to a reduction of the sales tax in concert with the implementation of an income tax - nor should they. They will, rightfully, see that a reduction of the sales tax will mean that it can always go back up.

The sales tax must die and in its place, a more equitable, fair and easier income tax must replace it to keep moving Washington forward.

And, never fear - facts, wonky-ness, and ramblings about the income tax are going to be coming from me until it gets done.

BetterDonkey.org - Washington State Sales Tax

Happy Hour: Washington State Income Tax

Supermajority Defeated ... Next Up, Income Tax Created!