Taxes & Cost of Living

Washington is strapping itself to California’s costly and unstable energy policy

by Todd Myers, Environmental Director, Washington Policy Center With one of the highest costs of electricity in the country, California residents pay more than double the rate we do in Washington state. And yet, they have trouble keeping the lights on. Last summer, California faced widespread blackouts due to a shortage of reliable electricity. Only...

Be on the lookout for bad bills

While details are still murky, here are what issues we can expect to pop up.

By Brandi Kruse

Remove the barriers to building more affordable housing in WA

This article is republished here courtesy of the Building Industry Association of Washington. Over the last 30 years, Washington’s population has grown by 60%; yet we’ve only increased the number of housing units by 33%. The failure to accommodate this growth has created a market so tight in Washington that median home prices have nearly tripled in the last decade to roughly...

[un]Divided: Food insecurity in Washington state

In Brandi’s recent segment of [un]Divided, she reflects on gratitude and the things we are grateful for during the holidays, like family, a steady job, and income. But she also acknowledges those who are struggling – crushed under the weight of inflation and high gas prices – in Washington state. Brandi welcomes Barb Houston, Executive...

By Brandi Kruse

“Hidden costs” will keep Washington’s home perpetually unaffordable

Although mortgage rates have leapt from 3 percent to 7 percent in a year, the cost of home ownership isn’t going down anytime soon. According to a forecast by Norada Real Estate, the typical Washington home’s value increased by 15.1 percent in the past year. Although next year’s value increases are expected to be much...

Washington seeks to ban gas-powered vehicles by 2035

Monumental change will hit low- and middle-class Washingtonians especially hard. State lawmakers and Gov. Jay Inslee are moving forward with plans to ban the purchase of gas-powered vehicles by 2035. In addition, the governor has declared a statewide goal for all “private” new car sales to be zero-emission vehicles by 2030. The state is trying...

Inflation is pushing Washington’s already-high cost of living even higher

Washingtonians squeezed despite record surplus Washington is already one of the most expensive states to live in – and inflation is making it even less affordable. The cost of living in the evergreen state is 13% higher than the national average. Housing and healthcare are each 22% above the national average, while transportation is 18%...

Inslee’s emergency powers aren’t really going away

Last week Governor Jay Inslee announced he’d end the state of emergency for COVID-19 on Oct. 31, mere days before the November election. The state of emergency declaration has remained in place since Feb. 29, 2020, a period of more than 900 days. The reality is that regardless of what actually transpires (or expires) on...

Natural gas ban will make Seattle even more unaffordable

In February 2021 the Seattle City Council voted unanimously in favor of a new building code banning the use of natural gas in all new commercial and residential buildings over three stories high.

Ferry solutions fail to address actual problems

Commuters in the state of Washington have suffered these last few years with unreliable ferry service. Unlike some states where such transport options are more for leisure than practicality, Washingtonians rely on the ability to take a ferry to work, doctor’s appointments – you name it. Ferries are an integral part of the state’s transportation...

Gov. Inslee opposes gas tax relief

While other states are rolling back gas taxes, Inslee opposes such relief Record inflation is a problem all over the country, but especially in Washington state where Governor Inslee is refusing much-needed tax relief to Washingtonians. Prices increased in May at their fastest pace since 1981#waleg pic.twitter.com/0rFa4XLwIb — Office of Financial Management (@WA_OFM) June 22,...

Why gas prices in Washington are guaranteed to get worse

Gas prices are at all-time highs throughout the country. However, prices here in Washington are only going to get worse thanks to the new gas tax increase passed by the majority party in Olympia. Washington residents already have some of the most expensive gas prices in the country, which isn’t surprising considering it has one...

Property taxes are making Washington unaffordable

Washington is consistently ranked one of the most expensive states to live in – and property taxes play a large role in that. Since Gov. Jay Inslee took office in 2013, he has spent an incredible amount of money forwarding his agenda. Rather than making cuts in other parts of the budget to pay for that,...