Blog
Four Problems with a Statewide Pied-à-Terre Tax
Soon after Governor Hochul floated the idea of a “pied-à-terre” tax in New York City, Albany Sen. Patricia Fahy proposed to expand the concept to the rest of the state. As with Hochul’s still-sketchy proposal, Fahy says her…
Questions and answers you need about state spending and the new state income tax
The "Fair Share Myth" That Won't DieAccording to the Department of Revenue (DOR), taxpayers earning over $243,000 pay approximately $41,020 in state and local taxes per biennium. Those in the lowest bracket…
School Funding Sleight of Hand
"Voters in local school levy elections aren't really deciding whether schools get 'fully funded'; they're deciding whether to authorize spending above the state-guaranteed level." The following…
Fare evasion by Metro customers and evasive plans of County leaders
Earlier this month King County released a report on Metro’s bus fare enforcement program:…
Rampant fare evasion by Metro customers and evasive plans of County leaders
Earlier this month King County released a report on Metro’s bus fare enforcement program:…
Political spin in state’s new CO2 emissions reports masks climate policy failure
The Washington State Department of Ecology finally released 2022 greenhouse gas emissions data for the state, three and a half years after that year ended. The data show a small decline in statewide emissions between 2021 and…
Judicial Misadventure
"Time and again, the Court has stepped beyond its constitutional role and instead engaged in activities reserved to the more democratic branches of government: the legislature and the executive branch." The…
US public school spending hits $1 trillion; NH ranks 7th per-pupil
Spending on K-12 public education in the United States passed the $1 trillion mark in the 2024 fiscal year, just-released data from the federal National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reveal. “Time to update all…
the farmer’s share, the legislative session, and Washington’s farms
About a month ago, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a revision in how it was calculating the “farmer’s share” of the food dollar. The results were bleak. The USDA noted instead of the usual 14 cents, our food…
Air Quality Funds Diverted to Advocacy, Not Pollution Reduction
In 2024, then-governor Jay Inslee warned that “We have this epidemic of asthma in our state,” saying that funding from the state’s CO2 tax would help fund projects to reduce air pollution. The next year, the Department of…
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