Our Op-Ed in the Times: State lawmakers should review whether tax breaks are still worthy

As legislators convene in Olympia today for a critical legislative session, there’s a lot of talk about reform. But as we noted in an Op-Ed in The Seattle Times on Friday, one area that needs particular attention is how we handle special tax breaks that cost taxpayers billions of dollars every year.

After having already cut $5 billion from the state budget in the last two-year budget cycle, and facing a $4.6 billion shortfall in maintaining current services for the 2011-2013 biennium, key will be minimizing more devastating cuts.

Closing outdated and wasteful tax expenditures alone will not provide enough to preserve priorities like education, and we should explore our revenue options as well.

But as our Op-Ed noted: “This is a time when we need strong management from the state. But without reform that will bring about an examination of all forms of spending, we will lose the opportunity to ask rational questions that need to be asked: "Does it make sense to keep subsidizing Viagra when we're cutting funding for kids to go to college?"

Read more of the Op-Ed here.

And in case you missed it, here are some of our recent press mentions around the state budget:

• The Spokesman-Review: In Washington, a penny could go a long way;

• Puget Sound Business Journal: Advocates take aim at tax breaks;

• Stateline: As state budgets, payrolls shrink, so do ambitions.