Committee concludes Washington State's tax system outdated and inadequate.

• Position: News Briefs - Brief Article

According to a report released by the Washington Tax Structure Study Committee, Washington's tax structure is regressive, outdated, and inequitable because it relies primarily on a sales tax. The 139-page report claims that the system is regressive and inequitable because sales taxes force lower-income people to spend a higher percentage of their income on taxes than higher-income people. While low-income households spend 14 percent of their incomes on excise and property taxes, high-income households spend only 4.4 percent of their incomes on the same taxes. The report claims that the tax...