State ranks 35th in taxes, not fifth

In the Monday article about I-985, Tim Eyman repeats his misleading claim that Washington is the fifth-highest taxed state in the nation. The fact is that this figure is for all taxes, federal, state and local. The reason Washington is so high in this ranking is that we have a significant number of high wage earners who pay high federal taxes. If you compare state and local taxes only, Washington ranks 35th, according to the Tax Foundation.

If Mr. Eyman would direct his energies into meaningful tax reform, such as abolishing the state sales tax and B&O tax and replacing them with a personal and corporate income tax, the tax burden on low-income citizens would be reduced and state revenues would be more constant, mitigating the wild swings between surplus and deficit that is inherent with the current tax system.

Jerry Fraser

Lynnwood