News & Stories

One way to determine how I-1098’s proposed income tax compares to other states is to calculate and compare the effective tax rate for an individual filer at a particular income level, as we’ve already done here. But another way is to compare I-1098’s effective tax rate for a particular percentage of income earners across all […]

From the Baltimore Business Journal: The Baltimore City Council is considering a new law to guarantee that the city’s major retailers, like Walmart and 7-Eleven, pay employees decent, living wages. It’s smart economic development policy: full-time retail workers would see around $100 more in their paychecks each week, boosting consumer spending just when the city’s […]

Due to large crowds at the first two public meetings, state officials have decided to move the last two meetings, July 27th in Vancouver and July 29th In Spokane, to larger venues. Officials also shortened presentations by OFM staffers at the beginning of the meeting, allowing more time for public comment. The new locations: July […]

BAm! Radio recently hosted Linda Darling-Hammond, the Stanford University researcher and professor, and John R. Burbank, the executive director of the Economic Opportunity Institute in Seattle, and the two discussed how early teacher training and support starts in Finland, and why it is considered so effective. Their conversation civers everything from the education and training […]

From In These Times: As the planet’s economy keeps stumbling, the phrase “worst recession since the Great Depression” has become the new “global war on terror” — a term whose overuse has rendered it both meaningless and acronym-worthy. And just like that previously ubiquitous phrase, references to the WRSTGD are almost always followed by flimsy […]

From the Everett Herald: As the recession continues bumping along, tax receipts are continuing to fall behind what’s needed to sustain public investments in education, health care and public safety. The most recent state forecast projects a $3 billion revenue shortfall over the next two years. The governor has responded with a call for “transforming […]

If one’s company and two’s a crowd, what does that make Washington Reps. Brian Baird (D-3), Doc Hastings (R-4), and Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-5), all three of whom have so far voted against extending unemployment insurance (UI) for thousands of their constituents? A party, of course! Well, maybe not just any party. Most people on […]

Last night’s public meeting of Transforming Washington’s Budget in Tacoma had a little something for everyone. Marty Brown, Governor Gregoire’s Budget Director, emceed the event. It began with a short speech from the Governor to outline the purpose of the public meetings and establish the criteria for evaluation of programs and services. After that, it […]

A new poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center shows that Americans from across the political spectrum: 1) realize Social Security is not responsible for the deficit, 2) believe that preserving Social Security is critical in difficult economic times, and 3) strongly oppose reducing Social Security benefits. The poll, released by the […]

Listen to the debate over Initiative 1098 as Ross Reynolds hosts pro- and con- viewpoints from guests John Burbank, executive director of the Economic Opportunity  Institute, and Matt McIlwain, managing director of Madrona Venture Group, on KUOW’s The Conversation. You can listen to the broadcast here. Looking for more information about Initiative 1098? Visit the […]

If you can’t attend one of the four upcoming public meetings about transforming Washington’s budget, but you still want to weigh in, you’ve got an option: Go online to submit your best ideas and/or vote yay or nay on others’ proposals. According to the site, the best ideas will “bubble to the top”. In order […]

They may not be a very popular group right now — but make no mistake, the scene they create could be very influential. They’ll have free shows in Tacoma, Everett, Vancouver and Spokane. And if the only people in the audience are dance tea partiers, you can bet we’ll all be singing a sorry song […]

The key question confronting state policymakers next year (and, if the Governor’s budget transformation project is moderately successful, the voting public this November) is this: how will we keep the public structures that underpin our communities and our economy – like public education, transportation, higher education, health care, and public safety – intact during the […]

From the New York Daily News: Dozens of city workers rallied in Central Park yesterday, demanding the City Council answer a rather unusual question: “You gave horses five weeks of vacation – Why not give humans sick days?” Why not, indeed?

Washington is one of seven states that currently has no personal income tax. But our state is more of an outlier than even that number would suggest — because of those seven states, six have an alternative source of revenue that Washington lacks. Alaska, Texas and Wyoming collect taxes on oil and minerals. Nevada taxes gambling, and […]

From the Everett Herald: Who is a patriot? A fair question to ask during the week of our nation’s birthday. What happens if you wear a flag pin on your lapel, and you work to undermine the paramount constitutional duty of our state? How’s that for patriotism? Our state’s paramount constitutional duty is basic education. […]

From the Public News Service: OLYMPIA, Wash. – It looks like I-1098 will make it onto the November ballot in Washington. Petitions turned in on Thursday to the Secretary of State’s office contain an estimated 360,000 signatures, well over the required number. It’s the initiative for an income tax on the state’s highest earners. Such […]

It’s no secret that workplace benefits like paid sick days and paid family leave reduce turnover, boost morale and improve workplace productivity. Not only do these benefits also come at a low financial cost to businesses, but employers who offer them experience a significant economic boost from improved employee productivity and reduced spread of illness. […]

We’re updating Washington Policy Watch to bring you better access to public policy news and commentary from the Economic Opportunity Institute. Previous visitors will note the look, feel and design of the entire site have changed. Specifically, we’ve: Added topic-specific RSS feeds that feature our most recent content to two new sidebars; Improved access to […]

In a couple of days, the Yes on 1098 campaign will turn in somewhere north of 360,000 signatures for Initiative 1098 — far more than enough to qualify for the ballot — and the campaigns for and against the measure will begin to heat up. Opponents of I-1098 claim the measure will excessively impact businesses, […]

Initiative 1098 will lower property taxes on residential and commercial property owners, exempt 81% of Washington small businesses from B&O taxes, and reduce the B&O rate for another 12% of businesses. It will offset the revenue reductions with a tax on high incomes (5% on income above $200K/individual or $400K/joint, and 9% on income above […]

The social (and economic!) value of paid family leave benefits is undeniable. Research indicates more bonding time lowers rates of infant mortality, improves infant health, and has a strong positive correlation to improved access to medical services. And when workers have time to recover from a serious illness or care for an ailing parent, they […]

Via Off the Charts (CBPP’s blog): As Ezra Klein’s research desk explains,  most studies show that rich people don’t flee higher-tax states for lower-tax ones and “the revenue generated by state tax increases on high earners overwhelms that lost from taxpayers’ leaving.”  (Brad DeLong and Matthew Yglesias also discuss this issue here and here.)  In […]

Washington Policy Review is EOI’s bi-monthly newsletter, with news and commentary on public policy from Washington State and around the country. Click here to subscribe. John Burbank: Reducing Social Security benefits isn’t ‘responsibility’ The inside-the-beltway crowd is sneaking up on us again. You may have picked up on some news regarding the “National Commission on […]

A recent survey designed and conducted by National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago asked Americans about their support for paid sick days as a labor standard — similar to workplace safety laws or the minimum wage. When asked the question: “The government sets various standards to protect workers’ rights. How important do […]

According to IRS data, 9 out of 10 Washington business owners would pay no state income tax under I-1098. Of those Washington tax filers claiming net business income from a sole proprietorship, S-corporation and/or partnership, only 10.6% show an AGI of more than $200,000. Since 85% of high-income returns are filed jointly, a substantial proportion of […]

From the Everett Herald: The inside-the-beltway crowd is sneaking up on us again. You may have picked up on some news regarding the “National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform.” President Obama appointed this group of past and present political leaders to “propose recommendations that meaningfully improve the long-run fiscal outlook, including changes to address […]

From the Public News Service: SEATTLE – More than half the people questioned in a new national survey said they’ve either gone to work with a contagious illness or sent their kids to school or child care sick, because they didn’t have paid sick leave and couldn’t afford to stay home. The University of Chicago’s […]