Just how out-of-control are taxes in Washington state?
Nov 19, 2015, 4:29 PM | Updated: 4:29 pm
Tax Foundation Policy Analyst Jared Walczak says the main thing holding Washington back is the B&O tax. (AP)
(AP)
Tim Eyman filed his latest initiative Wednesday to require a two-thirds vote to raise taxes — just in case the courts overrule a similar initiative passed by the voters earlier this month.
But just how out-of-control are taxes in Washington state?
According to the 2016 rankings from the Tax Foundation, which ranks states based on how competitive their taxes are, Washington state actually comes in 12th overall for the best tax climate — right behind Oregon and Texas. The main thing holding us back, according to Tax Foundation Policy Analyst Jared Walczak, is the B&O tax.
Related: Eyman brings new initiative, and ice cream, to Olympia
“It is a tax that has largely been abandoned throughout the rest of the country; only a small number of states still have statewide gross receipt taxes,” he said. “That is holding Washington back.”
The Business and Occupation is one of the funkier taxes because it taxes business receipts whether or not the business makes a profit. But on the other hand, the Tax Foundation says the lack of an income tax here is a big plus.
“Small businesses that don’t find themselves subject to the B&O, or find themselves subject to it at a low rate, can find Washington a very attractive place to do business, because (of) the lack of an individual income tax under which normally LLC’s and S-corps and other small businesses might be paying.”
As for our sales tax, the Foundation did find that the high sales tax tends to push up the price of everything we buy here, but even with that, they consider Washington’s tax structure better than 38 states.
The states that beat us in the tax climate survey: Wyoming, which was number one, followed by South Dakota, Alaska, Florida, Nevada, Montana, New Hampshire, Indiana, Utah, Texas, and Oregon.
The states with the worst tax climate: California, New York and, coming in dead last, New Jersey.
