Charting Washington Tax Reform: Tools You Can Use
For those seeking to understand the Washington tax system-- or seeking to educate the media, lawmakers or your friends and family on the need for progressive Washington tax reform--here's your starting point. This collection of graphs and tables is available for you to use in your own research and presentations.
All charts and tables are available as PowerPoint (PPT) slides and in Portable Document File (PDF) format. Some tables will also be available in Excel format
Featured Charts
Washington's Tax System is Regressive
Washington's tax system is regressive: low-income families pay much more of their income, on average, than wealthier families must pay. This chart, taken from ITEP's January 2003 Who Pays report, shows exactly how much of their income Washingtonns pay in state and local taxes.
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Sales Taxes Are Higher than Average; Income and Property Taxes Below Average
Washington is both a high-tax and a low-tax state. This chart, based on data from the US Census Bureau, shows that while Washington sales taxes are among the highest in the nation, property taxes are somewhat below the national average. Since Washington is one of only nine states with no broad-based income tax, the state's reliance on these other taxes is forced upwards.
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Washington's Tax System is Out of Balance
Washington is both a high-tax and a low-tax state. This chart, based on data from the US Census Bureau, shows that while Washington sales taxes are among the highest in the nation, state income and property taxes are quite low.
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Washington's Sales Tax Exempts Most Services
Washington's sales tax was enacted at a time when consumers spent most of their money on tangible goods (like books or radios). Consumer spending has shifted towards intangible services like haircuts and car repairs-- and Washington has done a better job than most states of revising its tax base to include these services.
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