Close Tax Loopholes Now! A MoveOn Petition to Gov. Inslee and the legislature

Petition to be delivered to: The Washington State House, The Washington State Senate, and Governor Jay Inslee

Petition Statement

In order to increase accountability and close tax loopholes, the Washington State Legislature should adopt a Tax Expenditure Budget as part of its biennial budget process.

Petition Background

Tuition doubled for my son and daughter between when they started college and graduated. Washington State needs to provide sufficient revenue to keep college affordable for all students so we have an educated workforce for the future.

Tax exemptions reduce available funds for education, health care and other important state services. Some tax exemptions are actually tax loopholes and benefit special interests but don’t meet state priorities for funding. As off budget spending, tax expenditures (exemptions) lack the accountability that other state spending undergoes when the state approves its biennial budget.

Washington State currently has over 650 tax exemptions. According to the State Department of Revenue in the last biennium, while Washington State collected some $21 billion in B&O, sales and use taxes, it excluded from collection over $20 billion in tax exemptions. The system is broken.

Requiring that the Washington State Legislature adopt a Tax Expenditure Budget every two years as part of the biennial budget process would make tax exemptions more transparent and accountable to Washington taxpayers. The Legislature needs to prioritize tax exemptions and close tax loopholes not meeting state needs. Creating a Tax Expenditure Budget detailing the tax expenditures (exemptions) and the amount of revenue the Legislature is not collecting, will help Legislators to prioritize closing tax loopholes not meeting state priorities and needs.

To sign the petition click here.