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Tiffany Smiley elected to MSPC Board of Directors
Mountain States Policy Center's (MSPC) Board of Directors has unanimously approved the election of Tiffany Smiley to its Board of Directors,

MSPC Newsroom
Dec 16, 20252 min read


Washington employers are sounding the alarm. Will lawmakers listen?
Roughly three out of four businesses say they’ve been hit directly by the recent sales tax on services or B&O tax increases. More than half are raising prices because of it. The rest are just absorbing the blow and hoping things calm down.

Amber Gunn
Nov 18, 20253 min read


Income tax proposals won’t die in Washington State
What comes back from the dead more frequently than Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, and Freddy Krueger? Efforts to impose an income tax in Washington State. Like those perennial terrors, this income tax fixation in the Evergreen State should finally die, too.

Jason Mercier
Oct 31, 20253 min read


Washington state agencies discredit their own plastic bag ban study
Washington state’s ban on thin plastic grocery bags is increasing the amount of plastic used by shoppers and overall environmental harm, contrary to the intent of the law.

Todd Myers
Oct 7, 20254 min read


Washington’s digital ad tax is unwise, discriminatory and illegal
Idaho’s top real estate agents are not cashing commissions in Boise—they’re writing tax laws in Olympia. Washington legislators keep raising the cost of doing business so fast that they may as well set up a relocation desk for Idaho.

Amber Gunn
Sep 29, 20254 min read


Grocery store closures are exactly what some politicians asked for
Grocery competition doesn’t just come from the store down the street anymore—it comes from Amazon dropping food on your doorstep, Walmart offering rock-bottom prices, and Costco selling everything in bulk. Albertsons and Kroger needed each other to stand a chance.

Chris Cargill
Aug 22, 20252 min read


After 50 years, the Snake River Dams have been a blessing and will continue to be
It has been fifty years since the four dams on the Lower Snake River were completed. Originally built to provide transportation, they now create the equivalent of one-third of the electricity generated in Idaho, helping balance the growing amount of wind and solar energy across the Pacific Northwest.

Todd Myers
Aug 13, 20253 min read


Good and bad news on the Washington ferries deal
Taxpayers across Washington state have had a rough go as of late. New gas taxes, increased capital gains income taxes, and higher B&O taxes are hitting the wallets of many across the Evergreen State.

Bob Pishue
Jul 16, 20252 min read


Lessons from downwinders: Why government transparency is crucial for public trust
Today, miners are well informed about the risks surrounding uranium mining, and many steps are taken to protect workers from its effects.

Luke Hill
Jul 11, 20253 min read


Washington's Supreme Court hides the ball on state employee compensation offers
the Washington State Supreme Court has given its official blessing to a secretive process that allows the offers and counteroffers leading to more than a billion dollars in taxpayer-funded compensation to remain secret until after the state budget is signed into law.

Jason Mercier
Jul 9, 20253 min read


President Trump shows strong support for Snake River dams
With the stroke of a pen, the future of the Snake River dams is looking better. President Trump issued an Executive Order on June 12 repealing a secretly negotiated memorandum signed by President Biden that was attempting to set the path for the possible breaching of the Snake River dams.

Jason Mercier
Jun 20, 20253 min read


Washington’s new digital ad sales tax: Unconstitutional, unfair, and economically unsound
Washington state lawmakers this year imposed a new tax that has already sent tremors through the state’s tech titans and small business owners. Senate Bill 5814 significantly broadened the state’s retail sales tax to include an extensive array of digital services.

Sebastian Griffin
Jun 18, 20252 min read


Washington enacts massive tax increases to pay for government pay raises
There was a lot of intrigue in Washington state as citizens and businesses waited to see what Governor Ferguson would do with the record tax increases lawmakers sent to his desk this year. Despite speculation that the new Governor may veto these massive tax increases, in the end, he signed them into law on May 20.

Jason Mercier
May 21, 20252 min read
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