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Make Washington’s Tax System Fair for Everyone
Washington State has the most unfair tax system in the country. And it doesn’t raise enough money for good schools, healthcare, transportation, and more.
Our state has faced budget deficits for four of the past five years — because the tax system does not bring in enough money to run vital and necessary state programs. The tax base is unstable—when the economy slows and people need state services the most, there is less money coming in and no reserved savings.
Washington State’s current tax system is unfair, inadequate, and unsustainable. |
Our elected officials need to be courageous and stand up for what is right for the long term health of the WA State economy AND ITS TAXPAYERS—a tax system where everyone pays a fair, but not unreasonable, share. We need a permanent solution to current revenue shortfalls and budget crises. This will only come from a long-term, voter-driven campaign for reform. Our state needs to get serious about finding ways to fix the recurring budget crises and pay for our burgeoning health, education, safety and economic needs. Our lawmakers need to stop looking at short term fixes and accounting tricks.
We are demanding that our elected officials commit to tax reform to create a system that is:
FAIR— Taxes are based on one’s ability to pay. People and businesses with higher incomes are asked to pay their fair share.
SUFFICIENT— We need enough revenue raised to promote a healthy economy and meet the public needs of our citizens, including education, health, and human services.
STABLE— There must be a stable stream of revenue during times of economic growth and economic recession.
ACCOUNTABLE— Government is accountable to the people. All spending, taxes and tax exemptions should be publicly disclosed, and reviewed and evaluated to ensure they provide public benefits.
To reach these goals we support a tax reform package that includes:
so the public can determine whether they meet public goals.
Tell your elected officials that you want them to be courageous and do the right thing. Tell them you want them to stand up for tax reform in Washington State that will make our system fair, sufficient, stable and accountable.
Make Washington's Tax System Fair for Everyone!
Did you know that Washington State has over 500 tax breaks on the books? Many of these tax breaks were created decades ago and have never been reviewed or evaluated. Many of these tax breaks include NO requirement for reporting so that the state can evaluate their effectiveness. Washington CAN! actively participates in a Tax Fairness coalition working to better our tax system. Each week during the 2005 legislative session Washington CAN! members lobbied in support of 2 House Bills that would have required consistent accountability across all tax breaks. While neither of these bills were passed, we know that our participation was an important step in ensuring that Washington State holds businesses accountable for their responsibilities to the communities of Washington.
Invest in Washington's Families
Click here for the report (in PDF format) released jointly with WCA and NWFCO in January about ending costly R&D Tax Break.
Ideas in Action
Wondering how Corporations are spending their tax breaks? Click here to read about how Washington Lags behind in Corporate Disclosure and Accountability.
