‘It’s an unfair playing field’: Jake and Spike slam new beer tax proposal

House Democrats in Olympia have introduced a bill that would add a 2% sales tax to every beer sold in Washington State. This proposal comes on the heels of a significant increase—more than 40 liquor-related fees were raised by 50%, following the narrowest floor vote of the 2025 legislative session so far.

Spike O’Neil, co-host of “The Jake and Spike Show” on KIRO Newsradio, shared that he believes the tax would disproportionately affect local breweries and businesses.

“It makes it an unfair playing field for Washington business owners, people who are trying to do the right thing, lift yourself up by your bootstraps, start your own business,” Spike said. “Live the American dream, provide jobs, provide benefits to your client, to your customer, a sense of community… And then, uh oh, here comes the state.”

New beer tax sparks industry backlash

This tax would rank Washington ninth nationally in beer excise tax, which is seven times higher than Oregon and four times higher than Idaho.

Jake Skoreheim, co-host of “Jake and Spike,” agreed, placing the blame on Washington’s previous mismanagement of funds.

“The state is stepping in and saying, We have mismanaged things so badly that we’re $16 billion in debt,” Jake said. “What we’re going to do is we’re going to try to take that from you guys. You’re going to help us fix the problem that we created, and it’s going to hurt your business.”

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Listen to “The Jake and Spike Show” weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.