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EOI in the News
Working Washingtonians need the wealthy to pay what they owe — will legislators get on board?
In the wake of the Great Recession, Washington’s state Legislature gathered in Olympia to craft a budget. Because of our overreliance on sales taxes for state revenue, lawmakers faced cratering funding for public needs as consumer spending dropped. They “solved” this problem by balancing the budget on the backs of working people, cutting $5.2 billion from services that keep families afloat in economic hard times, and hiking taxes paid by everyday people. Nearly a decade and a half later, we still haven’t returned to the levels of funding per person we saw before the recession.
We can’t afford to make the same mistake this time around. In 2025, state legislators face another looming deficit, and once again declining sales tax receipts and an overwhelming lack of progressive taxes are part of the problem. Washington state is home to the country’s second-most regressive tax code, ahead of only Florida.
This time around, our state legislators must make a different choice than they did in the last recession: they must make the wealthy finally pay what they owe. This is the only path to balance the budget and keep our state affordable for working people.
2025
February 7, 2025 — Bill to remove medical debt from credit scores in Washington state moves forward, The Reflector
February 7, 2025 — Burien voters could expand new $21.10 minimum wage to more workers, Cascade PBS News
January 15, 2024 — Putting People Over Profit: The Hidden Costs of Health Care Consolidation, Community Catalyst
January 6, 2025 — Op-Ed: Washington State’s Path to Tax The Rich in 2025, The Urbanist
2024
November 1, 2024 — “We are facing a health care affordability crisis”: COPHP alum tackles spiraling health care costs, University of Washington School of Public Health
October 29, 2024 — Health insurance premiums to rise for WA small businesses by about 12%, Washington State Standard
October 24, 2024 — Study: I-2066 projected to increase household gas bills in Washington $150 per year, Climate Solutions
October 21, 2024 — WA voters to decide future of long-term care program, Public News Service
September 26, 2024 — Fewer Washington residents have delinquent debt than national average, Washington State Standard
September 26, 2024 — Repeal of WA’s capital gains tax would hurt families, opponents say, Public News Service
September 21, 2024 — Increasing health insurance premiums demonstrate why legislative action is needed to address underlying costs, The Cascadia Advocate
May 12, 2024 — Where are Seattle’s first-time homebuyers? Some are leaving town, The Seattle Times
April 9, 2024 — Healthcare bills that passed the Legislature this year — and what you can do for your health, The Jolt News
2024 Revenue and Tax Legislation Review, TVW
Hear more from EOI’s Policy Director Traci Underwood in the March 20, 2024 tapping of The Impact.
February 19, 2024 — WA bill would add state oversight to hospital mergers, Public News Service
February 13, 2024 — Washington state bill seeks to regulate hospital mergers, care access, Healthcare Drive
January 2, 2024 — In 2024, Expect New Debates on A.I., Gender and Guns, The New York Times
2023
September 15, 2023 — Health insurance rates are about to jump for thousands of WA residents, The Seattle Times
August 30, 2023 — State Treasurer surveying public on adding new retirement program options, in Everett last week, Snohomish Tribune
August 23, 2023 — The long struggle over taxing the rich, The Center for Public Integrity
March 27, 2023 — Health care spending continues to outpace inflation, driven by prices, The Everett Herald
March 24, 2023 — VICTORY! Washington State Supreme Court upholds new capital gains tax on the wealthy, The Cascadia Advocate
January 25, 2023 — Lawmakers introduce Washington State Wealth Tax, Queen Anne & Magnolia News
January 25, 2023 — It’s time to rectify the state’s broken promises to child care workers through better wages, Real Change
January 20, 2023 — State Democrats join multi-state effort to tax the ultra-wealthy, The Olympian
January 19, 2023 — WA Joins Multi-State Effort to Pass Wealth Tax, Public News Service
January 19, 2023 — You Pay Your Taxes. Billionaires Don’t., The Stranger
January 11, 2023 — Washington Legislature could abolish advisory votes this session, The Spokesman-Review
January 10, 2023 — Are We Going to Tax the Rich or What?, The Stranger
January 9, 2023 — Child-Care Crisis Squeezes Families, Workers as WA Session Begins, Public News Service