The Legislature has finally figured out a budget and closed up shop. The headlines will be about new taxes. But the equation that taxes are by nature bad doesn’t add up. What do taxes pay for? Schools, roads, health care, public health, college education, community colleges, police, firefighters, teachers, parks, recreation … In short, taxes [...]
Lawmakers consider ending tax loophole for largest polluter in WA
March 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment
From Public News Service: OLYMPIA, Wash. – As lawmakers continue their efforts to close Washington State’s multi-billion dollar budget gap, environmentalists are urging them to close a tax loophole for the state’s largest polluter. Washington State could save $5 million per year by ending the tax break for TransAlta, the Canadian company that owns a [...]
Legislators should revisit tax exemptions to close the gap
March 18, 2010 By Leave a Comment
As the state legislature struggles to reach agreement on a revised plan to avoid unconscionable cuts to the very public structures on which thousands of workers and families rely, and our economy needs to grow, they could do worse than to take a second look at some of the options killed by corporate lobbyists early [...]
Never assume — it’ll make an economist out of you and me.
March 12, 2010 By 1 Comment
Making assumptions is a necessary part of an economist’s work — but that’s no excuse for failing to reveal them when you make your case for a particular public policy choice, as Kriss Sjoblom does in his recent Seattle Times column when he asserts: …tax hikes will cost Washingtonians jobs and depress the economy. The [...]
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