On the first day of the 2015 Legislative Session, Senate Republicans adopted a rule that requires the support of two-thirds of Senators to approve any “new taxes.” This means the same taxes that make Washington the most regressive in the nation – sales tax, business and occupation tax, property tax and others – can be raised with a simple majority of senators. Taxes paid by the wealthiest Washingtonians and polluters, however, will be held to a higher standard.
The nonpartisan Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy today released the 2015 edition of its “Who Pays?” report which analyzes the tax structure in all 50 states. They found Washington is the most tax regressive state in the nation for the second year in a row.
To view a video of the speech Sen. Hasegawa made on the floor in opposition to this rule change, please click here.
