Looking back at the 2022 state legislative session, it’s hard not to be disappointed at the missed opportunities.Yes, lawmakers accomplished some things that are good for the economy, like shoring up the unemployment insurance trust fund, lowering the B&O tax threshold for the smallest of small businesses and passing a...
With Covid-19 vaccines widely dispensed and masking requirements mostly lifted, will “work from home” end?Will workers return to the office at pre-pandemic levels?Probably not! It is expensive to drive, and it is a waste of time and fuel to idle in traffic jams. Safety is another factor.Gas prices continue to...
Non-retirement investment accounts are often set up with wealth management firms.When the account is set up, there is an option to put a beneficiary designation on the account and oftentimes the account is then designated as a TOD (Transfer on Death) or a POD (Payable on Death) account.With this type...
Recently, the Eastern Washington University’s Institute for Public Policy & Economic Analysis was asked by the Port of Kennewick to conduct an “environmental scan” of the economy of the greater Tri-Cities. The overriding goal was to determine the impact of the pandemic on a variety of economic dimensions. One of...
Despite a mountain of money and bipartisan proposals to ease the state’s tax burden, legislators this year sidestepped their chance to provide Washington families and employers with meaningful, broad-based tax relief.Budget-writers in Olympia had a record budget surplus, providing the perfect opportunity to help ease the burden on employers and...
When St. Patrick’s Day rolls around on March 17, the Irish will have lots to celebrate. Ireland is still clean and green. And now, it is spending $15 million to bring visitors back. Irish tourism officials are targeting the 35 million people living in the U.S. with Irish heritage. They are...
In the old days, the decision to fund a retirement account with pre-tax dollars (traditional IRA) or fund it with after-tax dollars (Roth IRA) often hinged on when a person predicted his income would be highest and thus the tax savings greatest.So, if a person thought his or her income...
As I write this, the state is preparing to roll back Covid-19 mandates: Masks are coming off, spring is in the air, and there’s a sense of a promise to return to (something like) normal.The hospitality industry has been waiting for this moment for two years, and so have the...
As we might suspect from our own travel, tourism took a huge hit in 2020.The Benton-Franklin Trends metric on direct travel and tourism spending makes this painfully clear.Total estimated spending in the two counties plunged from about $496 million to $345 million, or a drop of 30%.What has been affected?...
When the Legislature convened the 2022 session in January, lawmakers made long-term care their first order of business.It’s probably not a topic you thought about much until recently, but news that every employee in the state (except for some who were able to opt out – more about that in...
