Good Economic News Sprinkled with Caution

By Don C. Brunell

The good news is Washington’s revenues continue to grow and projections for the next couple of years appear promising. That is welcome news, but it is sprinkled with caution about introducing new taxes.

Our state’s Economic and Revenue Forecast Council (ERFC) quarterly update shows a whopping 17.3% increase in state income for the current biennium. That welcome announcement comes just in time for Christmas.

For background, Washington’s budget is on a two-year cycle. The current spending plan started in July 2017 and runs through June 2019. State tax collections, boosted by ro...