News and perspective on public policy issues affecting Washington's economy and quality of life, brought to you by the Economic Opportunity Institute.
Tax Day 2012 is the latest scene in the national debate over who pays how much in federal taxes – and to a lesser extent, how some avoid them altogether. Here in Washington state, nearly everyone pays some taxes in one form or another – but the state’s tax code gives high-earners an (almost) free [...]
Removing barriers to higher education is one of the few places there’s bipartisan agreement (at least in theory) in Olympia. And the biggest barrier – by far – to higher education is high tuition. But Washington state’s recession-induced budget shortfall, balanced exclusively with cuts, has crippled higher education, and brought about steep tuition increases every [...]
From the Everett Herald: Are you saving for your retirement? If you are working, you are. You put 4.1 percent of your paycheck into Social Security, through the FICA tax. Now consider if we had no Social Security. The vast majority of workers would be understandably worried about paying the bills on their current income, [...]
Paid time off from work to recover from illness, care for a sick child, or see a doctor is a prerequisite for healthy workers and businesses, public health, family economic security, and even children’s success in school. Yet four in ten workers get no paid sick leave – including many restaurant, grocery, and health care [...]
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