"We're number one! We're number one!" For a sports team that's a great motto, for taxes, not so much. Last week my colleague Erin Shannon highlighted the grim news on Washington's highest in the country death tax (estate tax). Reading her blog brought to mind an image of the Grim Reaper with a large number one foam finger. Besides death taxes, how else do Washington's taxes stack up nationwide? The Tax Foundation in its Facts and Figures (How does your state compare) report answers that question. 

According to the Tax Foundation here are Washington's various tax rankings: 

• State/local cell phone taxes - 1 (18.69%)
   
• State liquor tax per gallon - 1 ($33.54)
   
• State general sales tax collection per capita - 3 ($1,666 - U.S. average is $851)
   
• State cigarette tax per 20 pack - 7 ($3.025)
   
• State tax collections per capita - 20 ($2,789 - U.S. average is $2,677)
   
• State/local tax collections per capita - 22 ($4,416 - U.S. average is $4,600)
   
• State/local property tax collections per capita - 23 ($1,350 - U.S. average is $1,439)
   
• State beer tax per gallon - 24 ($0.26)
   
• State wine tax per gallon - 25 ($0.87)
   
• State/local tax burden per capita as % of income - 26 ($4,541 - U.S. average is $4,420)
   
• State individual income tax collections per capita - Winner! ($0 - U.S. average is $975)

So Washington may not be a good place to own a cell phone, sin or die when it comes to taxes but we can (still) proudly say (as the Washington Department of Commerce does) you can't beat our cost of ZERO when it comes to income tax burden!