Working class families and our vulnerable neighbors are struggling to make ends meet, as costs for education, housing, childcare, and healthcare continue to increase, while wages have stagnated for decades.
In Thurston County the lack of ample housing has raised rents and home prices faster than many can afford, leaving many families spending well more than a third of their income on housing.
On top of this, Washington is home to the second most regressive tax system in the United States. This regressive tax structure is inequitable and has a disproportionate impact on working class families and low wage workers. It constrains local and state revenue, decreasing our ability to provide an adequate safety net, foundational public health services, a quality education system, investments in our aging infrastructure, and other essential programs that benefit all Washingtonians. We need a sustainable and equitable tax system that provides us the opportunity to fund these vital services and doesn’t push the cost onto the shoulders of working people.
We can create a more equitable, sustainable tax system by passing progressive revenue reform. I was proud to vote in support of funding the Washington working families tax credit to provide money back to working Washingtonians and the capital gains excise tax to provide vital funding for early learning.