BILL REQ. #:  S-1513.1 

Read first time 02/18/11.   Referred to Committee on Government Operations, Tribal Relations & Elections.

     AN ACT Relating to information included in the voters' pamphlet; adding a new section to chapter 29A.32 RCW; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   The legislature intends to provide every voter with the information about how Washington municipal governments, state government, and the federal government receive their income, how they distribute it, and how the tax structure works.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 29A.32 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) For each voters' pamphlet prepared for the general election, the office of financial management must prepare the following charts:
     (a) A pie chart showing the amount of state revenues generated by major type of tax;
     (b) A bar chart comparing Washington state's general fund and the average of states' general funds by:
     (i) General sales tax;
     (ii) Selective sales tax;
     (iii) Property tax;
     (iv) Income tax; and
     (v) Other tax;
     (c) A pie chart showing general fund state expenditures by major expenditure categories;
     (d) A pie chart showing the state's general fund expenditures protected by state and federal law and nonprotected expenditures;
     (e) A bar chart showing the percentage of income paid in federal, state, and local taxes by income brackets, as follows:
     (i) Under twenty thousand dollars;
     (ii) Between twenty thousand dollars and forty thousand dollars;
     (iii) Between forty thousand dollars and sixty thousand dollars;
     (iv) Between sixty thousand dollars and eighty thousand dollars;
     (v) Between eighty thousand dollars and one hundred thousand dollars;
     (vi) Between one hundred thousand dollars and one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars;
     (vii) Between one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars and one hundred fifty thousand dollars;
     (viii) Between one hundred fifty thousand dollars and two hundred thousand dollars;
     (ix) Between two hundred thousand dollars and five hundred thousand dollars; and
     (x) Over five hundred thousand dollars;
     (f) A bar chart comparing federal tax collections from 1940 until 2010 from:
     (i) Individuals who earn less than two hundred fifty thousand dollars per year;
     (ii) Individuals who earn more than two hundred fifty thousand dollars per year;
     (iii) Corporations; and
     (iv) Small Businesses;
     (g) A line graph showing percentage of income paid to taxes from 1940 until 2010 for the:
     (i) Top twenty percent of income earners' income;
     (ii) Middle twenty percent of income earners' income; and
     (iii) Bottom twenty percent of income earners' income;
     (h) A bar graph showing the amount of tax expenditures for corporations from 1940 until 2010 charted against the expected tax base without tax expenditures; and
     (i) A pie chart showing the top five percent corporate wage earners who, between 2000 and 2010:
     (i) Paid taxes; and
     (ii) Did not pay taxes.
     (2) Each chart must contain a brief description in neutral terms. The charts must be placed on consecutive pages in the voters' pamphlet.