The worldwide recession has struck a major blow to state and local government budgets, including Washington’s. But Washington’s budget woes will outlast the recession because the state also has a structural deficit. Without raising rates or adding new taxes, revenues to support public services grow more slowly than the economy as a whole. As a result, our state is losing the ability to provide the kind of education system and infrastructure that residents and businesses need to thrive in the modern economy.
Many states with more flexible sources of revenue for public investments are keeping up better than Washington. For example, in the critical area of public education, Washington’s rank among the states has fallen from 17th in 1991-92 to 37th in 2005-06 in total per pupil spending, and from 24th to 46th K-12 spending per $1,000 of personal income
More To Read
September 6, 2024
Tax Loopholes for Big Tech Are Costing Washington Families
Subsidies for big corporations in our tax code come at a cost for college students and their families
July 31, 2024
News from the Road: EOI’s summer policy road trip continues
We're working to understand the issues that matter to Washingtonians
July 31, 2024
New poll in Washington finds people struggling with health care costs at an alarming rate
More than half (57%) of respondents have avoided seeking medical treatment or modified their use of prescriptions in the last year due to the cost