The state in the current biennium budget period gave out 176 tax breaks for B&O taxes totaling some $7.5 billion while collecting only $6.5 billion in revenue. The exemptions were 54% of the potential tax base. When an exemption is given it means that a tax shift occurs so the responsibility falls on someone else. […]
I downloaded from the state Public Disclosure Commission a database listing contributions to political campaigns and initiatives. The database is for direct contributions to candidates and initiative campaigns. It excludes independent expenditures. So the data shown below are incomplete, but still, I hope, enlightening. You can see in the table below that the Ballmers donated […]
Another loophole for the wealthy? If not fixed by the legislature, this technical glitch will siphon $160 million out of Washington’s Education Legacy Trust Fund. It funds tuition assistance, higher education, and public schools. Washington’s estate tax, which applies to the sons and daughters of wealthy estate owners, provides dedicated funding for public schools and public higher […]
