Why Enacting HB 1239/SB 5492 Would be Good Policy for Washington State

Tax preferences and tax incentives are called tax expenditures by most other states and the US Congress – they are revenue that is not collected. Not collecting this revenue from certain taxpayers is a form of picking winners and losers and the end … Continue reading

Basic Facts on Tax Exemption Transparency and Accountability Act 2015

Tax Exemption Transparency and Accountability Act 2015–HB 1239 & SB 5492 Tax exemptions, preferences, deductions, credits and deferrals are off budget expenditures. They lack the accountability and transparency that exists for other expenditures the state makes as part of the … Continue reading

Tax Expenditure Budget Bill Introduced Again in Washington State Legislature

Representative Gerry Pollet (LD-46) has reintroduced the Tax Exemption Transparency and Accountability Act in the 2015 Legislative Session. He was the prime sponsor of the bill in the House last year with 24 sponsors. This year as HB 1239 it has 26 … Continue reading

Tax Exemption Transparency and Accountability Act Filed in Legislature

Legislation to create a Tax Expenditure Budget as part of the regular biennial budget appropriations process has took a big step forward. Companion bills have been introduced in both the House and the Senate in the Washington State Legislature. They both had … Continue reading

Tax Exemption Transparency and Accountability Initiative Recieves Ballot Title

Initiative 636 – the Tax Exemption Transparency and Accountability Act has received a ballot title from the Washington State Attorney General. According to  Washington State’s Department of Revenue’s figures, tax expenditures account for as much spending as the state spends … Continue reading

Initiative 626 Receives Ballot Title from Washington State Attorney General

Tax Sanity has been busy this year filing initiative drafts for proposed legislation to create a tax expenditure budget.  The goal is to draft legislation that will increase tax exemption accountability and transparency. Initiative 626 is the latest version to … Continue reading

Sign Petition to Close Tax Loopholes Now!

You can help in our effort to close tax loopholes in Washington State by signing our petition to Governor Inslee and your Legislators. In order to increase accountability and close tax loopholes, the Washington State Legislature should adopt a Tax … Continue reading

Tax Loophole Reform Initiative to Washington State Legislature Filed

Tax Sanity ( www.taxsanity.org )  on May 17, 2013 filed an Initiative to the Legislature to address the issue of Tax Loophole Reform. As noted in an article in Crossscut entitled Tax exemptions are starting to draw an uncomfortable spotlight: … Continue reading

Time for Citizens to Get Serious About Closing Tax Loopholes
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The Washington Wire has printed a story entitled “Will this finally be the Year for a Loophole Initiative?” The story is about  Tax Sanity’s efforts  for tax loophole reform in Washington State –  as Eric Smith notes, year after year … Continue reading