Progressive Taxation and a Public Bank in Washington State

A Conversation with:

• Working class hero Senator Bob Hasegawa of Seattle,
• Representative Timm Ormsby of Spokane, Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee &
• Katie Wilson General Secretary for the Transit Riders Union

Thursday, May 7th at 12:30pm (Pacific)
RSVP below to receive instructions to participate.

Some years ago Backbone inflated a 14 foot elephant in the Capitol Rotunda in Olympia while our cohorts chanted "They Cut - We Bleed, Revenue Is What We Need!" from the balcony above. We got great news coverage, but we didn't win progressive taxation. That legislature simply kicked the can down the road. But the fight for progressive taxation began long before the last financial crisis. One of our guests, Katie Wilson, the General Secretary of the Transit Riders Union wrote this great piece on the history of the the struggle for progressive taxation in Crosscut a couple weeks ago. 

As Katie points out, Washington's tax system is already ignobly ranked the #1 most regressive tax system in the United States!

The impact of CoViD-19 and the deep economic downturn which has just begun requires a fundamental pivot on revenue generation in Washington state. Additional austerity measures that place the burden on working class people are unacceptable. A state bank and a pivot to progressive taxation would make a material difference in people's lives. They are both essential tools for building a new normal that is more just and sustainable than the old one. 

Our old friend Senator Bob Hasegawa of Seattle has long been a progressive champion for economic justice and the environment. He's led the fight for tax fairness and the State Bank. He invited his colleague Representative Timm Ormsby of Spokane, Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee to join the conversation. Like Bob, Timm is a champion for the working class who didn't hesitate one second to join us for this conversation. 

Here are a few introductory links to the topics we'll be covering:

• Katie Wilson's recent article in Crosscut HERE
• Info on the State Bank (Investment Trust) HERE
• And this short video:

More background and resources on the proposed State Bank and a Washington State Income Tax HERE. 

PLEASE RSVP to join this Zoom panel discussion.