Balance Our Tax Code

Washington’s tax code
is upside down

In Washington, we want to be able to pursue our dreams and be treated with respect, no matter what we look like or what’s in our wallets. But for decades, white and wealthy politicians of our past – influenced by wealthy corporations – have designed and maintained a tax code that allows a powerful few to build unimaginable amounts of concentrated wealth.

And that leaves the rest of us to foot the bill for the schools where all our kids learn, the parks we all play in, and the roads we all drive on.

The repeated decisions to maintain a tax code that benefits the rich and powerful have prevented many Black, Indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC) communities, working families, and small business owners from enjoying the stability of financial well-being, accessing opportunities for better lives, and building wealth for our families’ futures. Meanwhile, Washington’s 19 billionaires sat back and watched their wealth grow by $181 billion – or 56% – since the pandemic began in March of 2020.

Though progress has been made to balance our tax code, our lowest-income residents are still paying the highest share of their income in taxes, while the wealthiest pay the least. Washington still has the most upside-down tax code in the nation.

This year, we are coming together again to hold state elected leaders accountable for building a tax system that requires the wealthy to pay what they owe to our communities in taxes, and equitably funds what we all need to thrive, no exceptions. It’s more important now than ever.