Washington Needs a Tax Expenditure Budget

It's not the sexiest topic in the world. Heck, it's probably not even the sexiest tax-related report you'll read today. But the latest from the Washington State Budget and Policy Center, "Tax Expenditure Reports: A Tool for Transparent, Timely Budgeting," reminds Washington lawmakers that what they don't know about their own tax system could fill a warehouse.

A tax expenditure report, in its simplest form, is like a menu in a restaurant. It tells you what tax breaks a state currently offers, explains how they work and what they cost. Any lawmaker seeking to make their tax system fair-- let alone trying to balance a budget-- should have access to such information. Yet Washington policymakers don't.

Read the report here.