Open Government
WPC's Center for Government Reform's mission is to partner with stakeholders and citizens to work toward a government focused on its core functions while improving its transparency, accountability, performance, and effectiveness for taxpayers.
Press Releases
Attorney General and State Auditor Encourage Lawmakers to Adopt Constitutional Legislative Transparency Amendment
Contact: John Barnes
jbarnes@washingtonpolicy.org | 206-937-9691
Olympia – Attorney General Rob McKenna and State Auditor Brian Sonntag, two of the state’s strongest advocates for transparent and accountable government, have written a letter to legislators encouraging them to adopt the Washington Policy Center’s (WPC) proposal for a constitutional amendment to improve legislative transparency.
Their letter reads:
New Guide to Initiatives 1100 and 1105 Offers Helpful Comparison of Measures to Privatize Liquor Sales
Contact: John Barnes
jbarnes@washingtonpolicy.org
206-937-9691
Seattle – Confused about the differences between Initiatives 1100 and 1105? Washington Policy Center, the state’s premier public policy think tank, has released a Citizens’ Guide to Initiatives 1100 and 1105 to help media and the public understand the two measures and their differences.
Legal Analysis by Former State Supreme Court Justice says I-1098 Income Tax is Unconstitutional
Seattle - A new legal analysis written for Washington Policy Center by respected former state Supreme Court Justice Phil Talmadge finds that, if passed by voters this November, Initiative 1098 would likely be ruled unconstitutional by the state Supreme Court.
Justice Talmadge was a state Supreme Court Justice from 1995-2001 and served as a Democratic member of the State Senate from 1979-1995, where he chaired the Judiciary and Health Care Committees.
New Report Details Recent Tax Increases that Will Cost Washingtonians More than $6.7 Billion over Next Ten Years
Seattle – Washington Policy Center (WPC) has released a report detailing the tax increases passed during the 2010 Legislative Session. The Report on 2010 Tax Increases in Washington State provides a description of each tax increase and a breakdown of the ten-year burden each increase places on citizens.
After temporarily repealing Initiative 960’s requirement for a two-thirds legislative vote to raise taxes and many of its public disclosure requirements, lawmakers raised taxes by $800 million. The taxes included:
WPC Joins Governor Gregoire's Fiscal Responsibility and Reform Panel
Olympia – Facing a projected $3 billion budget gap for 2011-13, Governor Gregoire is calling executive budget hearings over the summer to help guide the budget she proposes. The Governor has invited Washington Policy Center's Government Reform Director, Jason Mercier, to join her fiscal responsibility and reform panel to assist this effort. She has asked for help answering these questions "about every program in state government":
Business and Occupation Tax Reform Plan Released
Seattle – Washington Policy Center (WPC), a non-profit, non-partisan policy research organization in Washington state, has released a plan for replacing the state’s Business and Occupation tax (B&O). The study, co-authored by WPC’s Center for Government Reform Director Jason Mercier and Center for Small Business Director Carl Gipson, is a variation of the Texas Franchise Tax—a gross receipts margins tax based on total receipts.
State Income Tax would Make Washington Less Competitive, Hurt Job Creation
Seattle – Proponents of a state income tax are gathering signatures for Initiative 1077, which for the first time would impose an income tax in Washington state. The new tax would be imposed on people with annual incomes of over $200,000 for individuals and $400,000 for couples. Research shows, however, that a state income tax would have a number of negative impacts on the economy and people of our state.