SEATTLE- Today, Washington Policy Center (WPC), Washington state's premiere free-market, independent think tank, published “How state officials can help families and businesses recover when the economy opens up,” a new study from Mark Harmsworth, the former legislator and city council member who now serves as WPC's Director for the Center for Small Business . These recommendations are aimed at reducing delay in returning Washington to work, while also adopting key reforms to reduce the risk of COVID-19 spread. 

“Government officials have ordered businesses to close and employees not to work,” said Mark Harmsworth, WPC Center for Small Business director. "Yet state and local government officials continue to impose the full tax burden as if the economy were functioning normally."

Harmsworth's policy recommendations are available in the complete study,  downloadable here. The key findings are pasted below.
 

Key Findings

1. State officials need to provide clear guidance immediately so that when business owners are allowed to re-open they can do so quickly.

2. The criteria used for social distancing and safety requirements should be applied consistently across business sectors, without the state picking favorites.

3. Economic regulations and mandates should be reduced so business owners can focus on job creation and growth.

4. State and local officials should defer, reduce and cut property taxes for all or part of the year to allow families to recover.

5. State and local officials should defer, reduce or cut B&O taxes for part of the year to help jobs come back faster.

6. Providing tax relief now will reduce the time for businesses to recover and provide the long-term tax base needed to support public programs.