Budget Report, Part 3: "The People Whose Business Practices Got Us into this Mess in the First Place."

now that’s what I am talking about.

Make it a story, not a list of budget numbers!

“The people who make money trading in paper got us into this mess. For too long, they’ve enjoyed a tax exemption while hard working Washingtonians don’t! In fact, in the last bumpety bazillion years their exmpetion meant they saved 28928202902820 in taxes. So I am going to fix that by making them subject to the same taxes as any small business accountant or flower sales person or computer repair businesswoman. We have to tax those who did us harm, to help those who need help. And so they play by the same rules as everyone else!”

If it is not a little morality tale, it’s not communicating.

now that’s what I am talking about.

Make it a story, not a list of budget numbers!

“The people who make money trading in paper got us into this mess. For too long, they’ve enjoyed a tax exemption while hard working Washingtonians don’t! In fact, in the last bumpety bazillion years their exmpetion meant they saved 28928202902820 in taxes. So I am going to fix that by making them subject to the same taxes as any small business accountant or flower sales person or computer repair businesswoman. We have to tax those who did us harm, to help those who need help. And so they play by the same rules as everyone else!”

If it is not a little morality tale, it’s not communicating.

now that’s what I am talking about.

Make it a story, not a list of budget numbers!

“The people who make money trading in paper got us into this mess. For too long, they’ve enjoyed a tax exemption while hard working Washingtonians don’t! In fact, in the last bumpety bazillion years their exmpetion meant they saved 28928202902820 in taxes. So I am going to fix that by making them subject to the same taxes as any small business accountant or flower sales person or computer repair businesswoman. We have to tax those who did us harm, to help those who need help. And so they play by the same rules as everyone else!”

If it is not a little morality tale, it’s not communicating.

Don’t know when voices first started getting raised over the need to deal with various exemptions, loophole and breaks to the Overlords of Commerce in this state. I’ve been aware of the outcry for twelve years, but it was never loud enough to move many lawmakers in Oly.

I do know that the “business incentives” passed by the legislature over the last fifteen years drained $2.5 billion from the ’09-’11 state budget.

A good primer on the subject is here:
http://www.eoionline.org/tax_reform/reports/WAStructuralDeficit-Apr09.pdf

Don’t know when voices first started getting raised over the need to deal with various exemptions, loophole and breaks to the Overlords of Commerce in this state. I’ve been aware of the outcry for twelve years, but it was never loud enough to move many lawmakers in Oly.

I do know that the “business incentives” passed by the legislature over the last fifteen years drained $2.5 billion from the ’09-’11 state budget.

A good primer on the subject is here:
http://www.eoionline.org/tax_reform/reports/WAStructuralDeficit-Apr09.pdf

Don’t know when voices first started getting raised over the need to deal with various exemptions, loophole and breaks to the Overlords of Commerce in this state. I’ve been aware of the outcry for twelve years, but it was never loud enough to move many lawmakers in Oly.

I do know that the “business incentives” passed by the legislature over the last fifteen years drained $2.5 billion from the ’09-’11 state budget.

A good primer on the subject is here:
http://www.eoionline.org/tax_reform/reports/WAStructuralDeficit-Apr09.pdf

@1 Not sure that continuing to suggest that taxes are a way to punish wrongdoing (“tax those who did us harm”) is a good way to change the tax debate. Tax policy should be a way to collect revenue, not a way to influence behavior. (If the wrongdoing is so wrong, make it illegal.) Talking about tax policy as a way to correct moral failings is a way to get a lot of people to resent taxes even more.

While gaining $1 billion (per year?) from the list above would be excellent, I’m in favor of extending the sales tax to all services, not just professional services. It’s a more just tax than the hated B&O. As far as I can see, the only service taxes the lowest 20% of poor people would pay would be on haircuts and nails. That would make an all-services sales tax pretty progressive (applying far more to the top 20%) and would likely cover all the deficit.

Don’t forget to repeal the $3.2 billion Boeing tax exemption, on the basis of failure to deliver 1,200 new jobs. It will send a warning to other corporations not to make promises they don’t intend to keep.

While gaining $1 billion (per year?) from the list above would be excellent, I’m in favor of extending the sales tax to all services, not just professional services. It’s a more just tax than the hated B&O. As far as I can see, the only service taxes the lowest 20% of poor people would pay would be on haircuts and nails. That would make an all-services sales tax pretty progressive (applying far more to the top 20%) and would likely cover all the deficit.

Don’t forget to repeal the $3.2 billion Boeing tax exemption, on the basis of failure to deliver 1,200 new jobs. It will send a warning to other corporations not to make promises they don’t intend to keep.

While gaining $1 billion (per year?) from the list above would be excellent, I’m in favor of extending the sales tax to all services, not just professional services. It’s a more just tax than the hated B&O. As far as I can see, the only service taxes the lowest 20% of poor people would pay would be on haircuts and nails. That would make an all-services sales tax pretty progressive (applying far more to the top 20%) and would likely cover all the deficit.

Don’t forget to repeal the $3.2 billion Boeing tax exemption, on the basis of failure to deliver 1,200 new jobs. It will send a warning to other corporations not to make promises they don’t intend to keep.

#1: Numbers communicate to me, and I have a high-school education, much of which was spent avoiding math as much as possible. If they don’t communicate to you, you’re not paying attention. It’s a shame that someone needs a “morality tale” (i.e., the equivalent of a graphic novel) to be able to grasp facts. This isn’t about writing style; this is about people hurting. What about “69,00 people kicked off the Basic Health Plan” don’t you understand?

#1: Numbers communicate to me, and I have a high-school education, much of which was spent avoiding math as much as possible. If they don’t communicate to you, you’re not paying attention. It’s a shame that someone needs a “morality tale” (i.e., the equivalent of a graphic novel) to be able to grasp facts. This isn’t about writing style; this is about people hurting. What about “69,00 people kicked off the Basic Health Plan” don’t you understand?

#1: Numbers communicate to me, and I have a high-school education, much of which was spent avoiding math as much as possible. If they don’t communicate to you, you’re not paying attention. It’s a shame that someone needs a “morality tale” (i.e., the equivalent of a graphic novel) to be able to grasp facts. This isn’t about writing style; this is about people hurting. What about “69,00 people kicked off the Basic Health Plan” don’t you understand?

THe people who … are all the people how decided to go a cheap, fast=easier money making, moving the jobs outside, promoting the agressive — not necessary morale people in all industries not just finances,– and beleiving that being tricky means being smart — no jobs, means : less customers in the stores, less taxes to the state, and so on…

THe people who … are all the people how decided to go a cheap, fast=easier money making, moving the jobs outside, promoting the agressive — not necessary morale people in all industries not just finances,– and beleiving that being tricky means being smart — no jobs, means : less customers in the stores, less taxes to the state, and so on…

THe people who … are all the people how decided to go a cheap, fast=easier money making, moving the jobs outside, promoting the agressive — not necessary morale people in all industries not just finances,– and beleiving that being tricky means being smart — no jobs, means : less customers in the stores, less taxes to the state, and so on…

@1 Not sure that continuing to suggest that taxes are a way to punish wrongdoing (“tax those who did us harm”) is a good way to change the tax debate. Tax policy should be a way to collect revenue, not a way to influence behavior. (If the wrongdoing is so wrong, make it illegal.) Talking about tax policy as a way to correct moral failings is a way to get a lot of people to resent taxes even more.