OLYMPIA, Wash. — With Washington state facing a big budget shortfall because of COVID-19, many are calling for the state to fix its tax code.
The groups advocating for change contend the state’s tax system is «upside down,» and the most regressive in the nation.
According to the Institution on Taxation and Economic Policy, the state’s wealthiest residents pay about 3% of their income in taxes, while the poorest pay nearly 18% of their income.
Melissah Watts, a member of Service Employees International Union Local 775 and an individual parent provider for her son who has special needs, thinks the state needs to find a more stable tax base rather than considering cuts to care providers.
«We need to make sure that we tax big businesses and big income-earners,» Watts asserted. «Because our state is one that people can rely on to not have to pay huge taxes, and that’s not good for our citizens.»
Read more at Public News Service.