Report: Seattle has the most regressive taxes in the state

Washington state’s tax system has been called the most unfair to the poor in the nation. Now, Seattle is ranked as having the most regressive taxes in the state.

According to a report from the Economic Opportunity Institute, a Seattle household making $25,000 per year pays 17 percent of its income in state and local taxes. Meanwhile, a household earning $250,000 pays just 4.4 percent.

“Even if public expenditures are relatively progressive in nature, city projects are increasingly being built on the backs of those who can least afford to pay for them,” the report from the Institute states.

Seattle, the Institute criticizes, likes to imagine itself as a progressive beacon. But of the major cities in Washington, it’s Spokane that has the least regressive taxes. A household earning $25,000 has 10.4 percent of its income taxed

Of course, King County voters tend to approve higher taxes to fund schools and projects more than outside cities.

But Seattle is trapped within the state’s already regressive tax system.

“Every major statewide tax in Washington is regressive,” according to the report.