News and perspective on public policy issues affecting Washington's economy and quality of life, brought to you by the Economic Opportunity Institute.
Excerpted from Washington State Budget 101: While the legislature deals with budget gaps by cutting public schools, home health care for vulnerable seniors, preschool for low-income kids, and access to college, 100s of tax breaks for profitable corporations go unexamined. Not all tax breaks are bad, but when basic services are on the chopping block, [...]
Excerpted from Washington State Budget 101: Washington’s tax code guarantees future revenue shortfalls Because of Washington’s heavy reliance on the sales tax, budget revenue doesn’t match growing needs for education, health care and other public priorities. People are spending more on services, which are mostly not taxed, and buying more over the internet, mostly tax-free. [...]
Every 2 years the legislature and Governor adopt a budget. The General Fund Budget is based on state tax revenues. In addition to the General Fund, the state receives money from the federal government for specific services, such as Food Stamps, Medicaid, and children’s health. The state also has separate budgets for transportation, funded by [...]
Washington legislators will convene a special session this fall to respond to a $1.4 billion drop in the state’s expected revenue for 2011-13, brought on by high unemployment and the lingering recession. State lawmakers have already slashed billions of dollars from the state operating budget since 2008, crippling individuals, schools, and communities in every part of [...]
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