Where do you get local information? part 2

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Where do you get local information? part 2

Submitted by go econo on Sat, 11/25/2006 - 7:49pm.

Really, if you see a blog entry from me, just assume it's a nerd alert.

Inspired by recent posts re: why Lacey isn't a good role model for its neighbors, here's a good data source if you're just dying to get your hands on local tax info. The Washington Department of Revenue has a fairly good little report tool that you can use to get information like local retail sales, tax rates, comparative taxation, and tax distribution by city. Look for the "Create Report" button on the left hand side of the page.

I sleep better at night knowing these data are just a few clicks away.

(But in all seriousness, this is the kind of information city councils and boards of county commissioners look at to know how the budget is doing...We need to be savvy information handlers, don't we?)

go econo's blog
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I have heard that the

Submitted by Robert Whitlock on Sun, 11/26/2006 - 12:30pm.

I have heard that the Washington State tax system is one of the most regressive in the nation and that this is due to the importance of the sales tax in generating revenue.

I like the sales tax..

Submitted by bubbaz (not verified) on Sun, 11/26/2006 - 2:00pm.

I like the sales tax..

It is a tax on consumption.

It is also a stable stream of revenue.

I think it is seen as regressive...

Submitted by Rick on Sun, 11/26/2006 - 3:29pm.

...'cause everybody has to buy clothes, soap, books, etc., but as a percentage of income, it disproportionately affects poor and middle income folks. If we had a consumption tax that focused on particular types of non-essential purchaces (luxury items), that would be more progressive.

Some combination of luxury taxes, sin taxes, and an income tax with a relatively high threshold (that exempts low-income earners), would be more progressive. Sin taxes do also impact low-income disproportionately, but those taxes focus on particular behaviors that are very costly to the state (i.e., health effects of smoking and drinking).

When you think of the long and gloomy history of man, you will find more hideous crimes have been committed in the name of obedience than have ever been committed in the name of rebellion. -C.P. Snow

The poor impact the infrastructure just like the rich do...

Submitted by bubbaz (not verified) on Sun, 11/26/2006 - 3:39pm.

The poor impact the infrastructure just like the rich do...

If one can panhandle two - fiddy to buy some ale..

Then panhandle the extra fiddy cent to pay for the impact of getting that bottle to the store..

(this is a very *intimate* perspective on my part, IE: been there..)

Tax the rich too..

But keep the sales tax..

Its a stable revenue source..

Maybe a little reframe will shift things...

Submitted by Rick on Sun, 11/26/2006 - 4:03pm.

...try thinking of the single parent trying to buy enough food for the family from an inadequate income. That sales tax may be the difference between having to chose between hunger and paying the copay at the health provider for a child's asthma appoitment.

All sources of tax are stable if they are well designed and implemented.

Sales tax on food?

Submitted by bubbaz (not verified) on Sun, 11/26/2006 - 4:08pm.

Sales tax on food?

And you want to tie in health care costs?

huh?

Tax the rich to pay for health care..

Submitted by bubbaz (not verified) on Sun, 11/26/2006 - 4:09pm.

Tax the rich to pay for health care..

I thought you were Norm

Submitted by bubbaz (not verified) on Sun, 11/26/2006 - 4:34pm.

I thought you were Norm

Perhaps I'm not making myself clear.

Submitted by Rick on Sun, 11/26/2006 - 6:55pm.

Broad, indiscriminate sales tax = bad. Focused luxury tax = good. Sin tax = good. Income tax with very progressive rates = good.

If you have a quite broad sales tax, as we do now, you take money out of the pockets of poor people, money they could use to buy necessities or pay for essential services like health care.

Is this making sense now?

im poor...

Submitted by bubbaz (not verified) on Sun, 11/26/2006 - 7:11pm.

and i pay my taxes no prob..

RE: "Broad, indiscriminate sales tax = bad. Focused luxury tax = good. Sin tax = good. Income tax with very progressive rates = good..."

Ever wonder why the anti - tax crowd doesnt get a foothold here?

Its because our property taxes are low and we dont have an "income" tax..

I think taxing munchies and Playstations is A-OK...

The Income Tax i dont think is gonna fly here..

Targeted tax increases to accomplish certain specific objectives (like Health Care) I think stands a better chance...

Making sense now?

uh, not really.

Submitted by Rick on Sun, 11/26/2006 - 7:57pm.

What is confusing?

Submitted by bubbaz (not verified) on Sun, 11/26/2006 - 8:08pm.

What is confusing?

I guess...

Submitted by Rick on Sun, 11/26/2006 - 8:38pm.

...what's confusing for me is your automatic dismissal of the notion that the sales tax is a burden for people who already don't make enough to live on.

Nevermind, I have no flockin

Submitted by Norm on Sun, 11/26/2006 - 8:41pm.

Nevermind, I have no flockin idea what I'm talkin about. Do you really feel that sales tax is a huge burden for the poor, and if so, is it all sales tax, or only on certain items?

People dont make enough to live on because of other reasons

Submitted by bubbaz (not verified) on Sun, 11/26/2006 - 9:07pm.

Not the sales tax..

Lets not reinvent the wheel here..

cig tax

Submitted by enpen on Sun, 11/26/2006 - 11:30pm.

When I was a smoker I was struck by the notion that cigarette taxes should uniformly go to health insurance for smokers.

"Anybody who doesn't know that politics is crime has got a few screws loose."

It's very sad to see someone

Submitted by Norm on Sun, 11/26/2006 - 11:34pm.

It's very sad to see someone towards the end of life that got their faster due to smoking. I like that taxes are high on cigarettes because, I'm hoping, that it will reduce smokers overall. On the other hand the state makes money off of it and I'm afraid that because of that smoking will never really go away, which is sad to me.

You've just captured the nut

Submitted by Rob Richards on Mon, 11/27/2006 - 12:47am.

You've just captured the nut of the problem with our government on every level. They profit from our lives, and they profit from our deaths. What does that leave us with?

"Everybody who imitates Christ is a fake Jesus." –Alan Watts

A "big brother" to watch

Submitted by Norm on Mon, 11/27/2006 - 11:10pm.

A "big brother" to watch over us? I'm not a huge fan of the government "helping" us along. A little bit is necessary but I feel like I can't wipe my own bum without a signed permit that's been notarized twice.

sales tax

Submitted by Robert Whitlock on Sun, 11/26/2006 - 6:09pm.

You both raise good points about the sales tax. I also support a luxury sales tax. But I think that this should be supplemented with an income tax. Simple, tax the rich to provide for the poor. The opposite is being done now by taxing the poor via exploitative labor practices. It's time to even the playing field. For the benefit of all, no?

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