Let's Talk About Washington State Taxes

Washington lawmakers are staring at a big budget hole and screaming "We need MORE taxes!" like that's the only possible fix...but not everyone agrees. In fact, we've got some great recent history we can look at and learn from. Let's take a look at the situation!

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Here are Five Fast Facts on fixing Washington State's continuing budget crisis:

1. 🤦 Racing To Last - Washington ranks a cringe-worthy 45th in the Tax Foundation’s 2026 Tax Competitiveness Index, meaning it's one of the worst states for business and living costs. Is winning the wrong race actually winning?

2. 📈 Restraint? What Restraint? - Washington's state budget (i.e. spending) nearly doubled in just one decade - from $43.6 billion in 2016 to a whopping $85.3 billion in 2025. Wow, can we get our Paychecks to increase like that??

3. ✋ Enough Is Enough - A Seattle Metro Chamber poll shows 76% of voters think the state already has more than enough money for all the important stuff - more taxes are needed like a donkey needs a fifth leg!

4. 👀 Fool Me Once - A mind-blowing 83% of voters also believe any new taxes would just get passed on to regular people by companies (hello, higher prices on everything!).

5. 💨 Monkey See... - Building budgets on wealth taxes is risky business - just ask California, which went from a $100 billion surplus in 2022 to a $56 billion deficit by 2024 because their high-earners have been leaving to escape those same wealth taxes!

🔥Bottom line: In the end, Washington’s budget mess looks a lot like a household that doubled its grocery bill, still ran out of money, and then blamed the kids—while stocking the fridge with caviar instead of cereal. Rather than cutting back, Olympia’s answer has been to ask for a bigger allowance. The problem? That “allowance” comes straight out of our paychecks, which keep shrinking. Voters seem to be saying, maybe try budgeting like grown-ups for a change, but there’s little sign anyone in Olympia is listening—or even interested. Big choices are coming. The question is whether state leaders are ready to start adulting anytime soon.

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What do you think should happen here?

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