Washington faces an unprecedented economic crisis that requires transformative change through progressive taxation to increase affordability. Nearly one-third of Washingtonians are unable to pay for their basic needs with earnings alone. The cost of housing, child care, food, and health care have risen at a faster rate than median earnings, leaving too many Washington families struggling to cover these basic expenses and stay out of debt.

The Self-Sufficiency Standard, a geographic- and family-specific basic needs budget, reveals that annual costs for an adult with a young child living in King County have gone up by 242% in the last 24 years. This is not just an urban problem; costs have grown by 163% in Clark County and 150% in Adams County for the same family type. On the flip side, median earnings for all occupations in Washington increased by only 96% in the same time period, putting more Washington households in economic crisis than during the Great Recession.

The same households struggling to cover their basic needs are also required to pay three times their share of income towards Washington state taxes than those with income over $1 million. This places Washington state with the second-most regressive tax code in the nation.

We can achieve affordability through a resolute and well-funded public sector that fills the need our current economic system has created and cannot fix: the quickly growing gap between median wages and costs. Reaching true affordability will demand that we stop placing the onus on everyday people trying to make ends meet, and instead confront markets that are dysfunctional by design and change the policy choices that caused this crisis. A progressive tax code allows for the possibility of cost-reducing and income-boosting programs like subsidized child care, affordable housing, free school meals, and expanded tax credits—giving direct cash to low-income people. With growing consensus about the need for transformational change to achieve affordability, historic federal funding cuts that limit Washington’s ability to provide a social safety net while funding large corporate tax incentives, and a four-year revenue deficit of $12.6 billion, legislators have a window and imperative to act.

Now is the time for our elected officials to make life more affordable for Washington families by funding state programs and services with progressive revenue. Washington voters and residents are desperate for government-led affordability solutions; messaging on solving financial insecurity and expanding social and economic mobility by making life more affordable is winning elections and activating a wide constituency. Statewide, 64% of voters upheld a capital gains tax on the ultra-wealthy that is helping fund schools and early learning programs. In November 2025, 71% of Seattle voters approved a progressive fix to the city’s business and occupation tax structure that will provide meaningful relief to small businesses, while raising revenue by taxing big corporations. Washingtonians understand that progressive revenue is the solution to this affordability crisis, and lawmakers have both the duty and ability to support working people across the state by reforming our tax code. 

What will progressive revenue enable?

Lower food costs by providing free school meals 

In 2025, families in Washington are paying $1,184 on average per month for food, which exceeds the national average of $1,033. According to Feeding America, there are over 1 million food-insecure people in Washington state, or 13.2% of our neighbors. Washington could relieve families’ financial and time burden by using progressive revenue to fund free school meals for all public school children. Colorado voters just approved a tax increase on high earners with over $300,000 in annual income to fund free school meals for all public school children. 

Affordable child care for all 

High child care costs are burdening families across the state. Washington has the second most expensive center-based child care in the country, with toddler child care costs constituting 46% of the median income for a single parent. In King County, the cost of child care for a preschooler has gone up by 242% since 2001, or 10% per year. Washington could implement a universal child care system in which child care is free for all children, and child care workers get paid solid wages with government benefits. On November 1, 2025, New Mexico became the first state offering no-cost universal child care to all households, saving families an average of $12,000 per child each year. 

Lower housing costs through targeted tax credits

In Washington state, 34% of households are cost-burdened, meaning that a third of residents, both owners and renters, are spending more than 30% of their income on housing. With more progressive revenue, Washington could implement a property or renter tax credit to offset rapidly increasing housing costs. Minnesota already offers an income-based tax credit to both renters and homeowners, offsetting rent costs by up to $2,640 and mortgage costs by up to $3,410.

Increase income by expanding tax credits 

With median earnings growing at half the rate of costs in some areas of our state, Washington could return more money to the pockets of low- and moderate-income people who are struggling to keep up by expanding or adding to the Working Families Tax Credit. The maximum Working Families Tax Credit for a family with one child is $640. In Minnesota, by contrast, low- and middle-income taxpayers are eligible for a child credit of $1,750 per qualifying child ages 0 to 17.

Public sector-driven cost reductions are not idealistic or unattainable visions — many of these solutions are already being implemented in other states, leaving Washington drastically behind. Washington is a state with resources, a diverse constituency, natural beauty, and strong academic institutions; with almost a third of Washingtonians struggling to cover the cost of basic needs, we need a tax code that utilizes our state’s wealth to provide for its people.