The Blog at MSPC

Transparency is high on the list of every politician’s priorities. They should follow them instead of opting to promote a more opaque government that gives unions a massive gift in the form of easy fundraising.

With one single vote, lawmakers have decided to defy legal precedent, blow up the state’s business climate, and deny citizens their right of referendum. A trifecta of bad policy that firmly signals “Choose Washington” is a slogan and strategy of the past.

The reality today is that policymakers are making it increasingly harder to thrive and innovate within the ever-increasing tax and regulatory burden. The numerous economic reports are a loud warning that, unless a course correction is made, more entrepreneurs will be looking elsewhere to do business.

The proposal would raise Idaho’s income tax rate from 5.3% to 5.325% and repeal the Parental Choice Tax Credit — just months after families began applying for it.

We were honored to have Montana Governor Greg Gianforte attend and address the crowd at our policy event in Helena on February 24. Governor Gianforte discussed his plans for the upcoming 2027 Legislative Session, noting that moving the Treasure State to a flat income tax and providing families with more education choice opportunities were among his top priorities.

Whether tariff tax increases are good or bad economic policy, the fact remains that tax increases should be introduced, debated, and voted on by Congress. Major economic policies of any kind should not be imposed by one person unilaterally. This decision by the U.S. Supreme Court upholds and affirms that important check and balance of our republic.

Lawmakers willfully defying a ruling they don’t like in hopes that different judges will change a century of legal precedents, against the backdrop of voters consistently rejecting income tax constitutional amendments, is a recipe for constitutional chaos.

The phrase “render unto Caesar” comes into play here, but politicians should understand that they are to represent the people of Washington state, who have said time and time again that car tabs are just too damn high.

It’s the oldest trick in politics: sell a major policy shift by assuring voters it only targets someone else. Olympia is now running that play with the 9.9 percent “Millionaire Tax.” For those of us who have watched Washington’s spending habits for decades, the warning signs are obvious. The “fair share” narrative depends on intellectual dishonesty—and it’s being used to wedge open the door to a permanent state income tax.

Wyoming legislators are right to address the necessity of upholding the principles of federalism in the 2026 Legislative Session in the form of SJ 2.

Now Washington state legislators want to take this experiment statewide, arguing that a new 3-cent sugar-sweetened beverage tax will improve health outcomes and fight hunger. It sounds noble. It sounds decisive. And it’s deeply disconnected from reality.

Despite Washingtonians consistently and overwhelmingly rejecting income taxes and the legislature in 2024 enacting I-2111 to prohibit state or local income taxes, some lawmakers in the Evergreen State are again pushing for an income tax this year.

"This is taxation without representation- something we fought a war over 250 years ago. I hope that Utah’s leaders realize that these dependencies run both ways, and as dependent as Idaho is on Utah for motor fuels, Utah is dependent on Idaho for water. I hope we don’t have to enter a cycle of mutual exploitation. I hope we can remain good friends and partners.”

Washington already has the highest per-resident debt in the region, owing approximately $15,400 per capita, making it the 11th highest in the nation. While more maintenance and preservation dollars are needed, a significant amount would go to add-ons like bike lanes on highways in lieu of preserving the system that carries the most traffic.

One reason property taxes are a blazing issue in Montana is that the state constitution affords insufficient protection against tax hikes.

We have dozens of policy recommendations for lawmakers to consider. These reforms can be acted on even with the challenging budget situations across the states. Here are a couple of our top recommendations for Idaho, Washington and Wyoming lawmakers

As we prepare for the start of the 2026 Legislative Session in a few weeks in Idaho, Washington and Wyoming (there’s no legislative session next year in Montana), it’s a good time to look back and reflect on the many exciting things that occurred in 2025. Here are just a few that stand out

Ada County officials have significantly increased development impact fees to pay for transportation projects, passing an ordinance to charge

States and local governments across America have collectively accumulated over $6 trillion in liabilities, roughly $5 trillion of which are

Just as low-quality steel will lead to a lower quality chassis of a car, poorly educated American workers will lead to a drop in quality of