Ryan Frost

Director, Budget and Tax Policy @WAPolicyCenter

Previously @ReasonPensions @Reasonfdn @reason

[Ryan Frost @Frost_RyanWPC]

Thanks to @NewsFromCCT for coming out to our event last night. #waleg

https://t.co/9xVTCudgqB

[The Seattle Times @seattletimes]

The Seattle-based coffee giant is laying off 224 workers amid restructuring and moving some Seattle workers to its Nashville office. https://t.co/YndKXLZR6c

[Ryan Frost @Frost_RyanWPC]

@BrandiKruse My favorite fb stories are from SEA posting a sob story from a random middle school teacher making $150k

[Jason Mercier @MercierOnPolicy]

"Washington's tax and regulatory environment is the main reason employers are looking elsewhere. Seventy-one percent say taxes are a key challenge, up from 57% last summer. The number has continued to grow..." https://t.co/Or1YBKncKz #waleg @Frost_RyanWPC

[Ryan Frost @Frost_RyanWPC]

That “statewide public vote” line is pretty dishonest.

The only reason voters get a say now is because LGW and taxpayers spent millions of dollars and gathered 500,000+ signatures to force it onto the ballot.

If lawmakers expand the tax later, voters don’t magically get a vote. Someone has to go through this entire process all over again.

[Ryan Frost @Frost_RyanWPC]

Congratulations to my amazing mom. 68% to 85% funded in a decade, for a plan the size of CalPERS w/ the political headwinds of being in California, is nothing short of remarkable.

[Ryan Frost @Frost_RyanWPC]

@PaulTassi

[Ryan Frost @Frost_RyanWPC]

@CelticTradr @BrandiKruse The decision today was over the neutrality of the Public Investment Impact Disclosure, not ruling on the initiative itself.

[Ryan Frost @Frost_RyanWPC]

This clip is from a hearing over the ballot warning for IP26-645, the initiative to repeal Washington’s new income tax. State law requires the government’s disclosure to be neutral.

Instead of applying that standard, Judge Chris Lanese argued that tax-cut initiatives are themselves “not neutral,” warned of a “downward regressive spiral” and blamed budget gaps on people who don’t want to pay taxes.

Almost every premise was wrong. IP26-645 cuts no appropriation, and the tax produces no revenue until 2029. Washington spending is up 55% after population and inflation, and lawmakers just passed the two largest tax increases in state history.

Lanese admitted “there’s no direct cut,” then defended the PIID because it forces voters to consider spending cuts.

A judge reviewing a neutrality law should apply the law, not use the bench to repeat inaccurate tax-and-spending talking points. This was biased, uninformed, and embarrassing. #waleg

[Todd Myers 🐟🌲🐝 @WAPolicyGreen]

Washington state has perhaps the worst record on homelessness in the nation.

As @WAPolicyCenter's director of public safety solutions Eric Zimmerman explains in today's @SeaTimesOpinion, "Between 2014-2024, Washington saw a 418% increase in chronic homelessness." 1/2 #waleg

[Viet Q Nguyen @VietQNguyen]

Washington State Attorney General Nick Brown gets called out by the Wall Street Journal Editorial Board for drafting an obviously misleading ballot description on IP26-645, which would repeal the unconstitutional state income tax.

“Enter Mr. Brown, who has written a misleading description of the initiative that will appear on the ballot: “This measure would decrease funding for public K-12 education, higher education (including universities and community colleges), and human services (primarily healthcare).” Huh? The Democratic income tax hike won’t take effect until 2028. Pre-empting it and future increases can’t “decrease funding” that doesn’t exist.”

Just another validation of how utterly, disappointingly corrupt this office holder is.

Vote ‘yes’ on IP26-645 this fall to repeal this damn thing and send corrupt Olympia officials a strong message.

https://t.co/AeO7zWDPjo

[Ryan Frost @Frost_RyanWPC]

@JeffPassan @WillSammon Amick hit some absolute nukes at Tennessee

[Travis Couture @TravisSCouture]

12% of Washingtonians have returned their ballot per WA Secretary of State.

This is a very low turnout compared to this time in other elections. But it’s also an opportunity. If common sense people turn in their ballots, we can fix WA.

[Reuven Carlyle @Reuvencarlyle]

Although I voted for the law requiring public impact statements on ballot proposals, I also agree w #waleg critics that the current title design is structually unfair by focusing exclusively on 'cost' to state gov't. The broader impact should be objectively identified.

[Jason Mercier @MercierOnPolicy]

.@Frost_RyanW @LyndaWilson17LD

[Todd Myers 🐟🌲🐝 @WAPolicyGreen]

Washington state politicians like to highlight these rankings, showing that the state is a great place to live.

They ignore the fact that rankings related to government - fiscal stability, K-12 education, crime, etc. - are poor.

Imagine if we had competent government. #waleg

[Ryan Frost @Frost_RyanWPC]

"The increase would bring the total sales tax in Seattle to 10.8%, the highest sales tax rate of any major U.S. city.

The tax increase has been described as “progressive”, apparently because transit is regarded as a progressive public service.

In fact, the tax is highly regressive, it hits the working poor hardest." #waleg

https://t.co/Q6e6u7KTGr

[Jason Mercier @MercierOnPolicy]

“The tax doesn't even take effect until 2028. Revenues don't come in until 2029. So, no current school district, college, healthcare system, hospital, has any funding that depends on any of this revenue, because it doesn't exist yet.” https://t.co/j6CpVBBKyc #waleg @Frost_RyanW

[Ryan Frost @Frost_RyanWPC]

Voters this November will be told that repealing the income tax would reduce funding for schools and healthcare.

But how can repealing a tax that won't generate a single dollar until 2029 reduce funding for programs that aren't receiving any of that money today?

The income tax earmarks nothing for K-12 education, higher education, or healthcare. Aside from a 5% allocation to the Fair Start for Kids Account beginning in 2029, the revenue goes into the unrestricted general fund, where future legislatures decide how it's spent.

Washington's Public Investment Impact Disclosure should describe what an initiative actually does, not imply that repealing a tax that won't produce revenue until 2029 would reduce funding for today's schools and healthcare. #waleg

[Ryan Frost @Frost_RyanWPC]

WA Superintendent Chris Reykdal says there are fewer state employees per resident than 20 years ago, government is smaller as a share of the economy, and state employee pay has lagged the private sector.

I checked all three claims against Washington's own data.

What I found:
• State employment has kept pace with population, not declined.
• Government costs taxpayers substantially more per resident than 20 years ago.
• The wage comparison doesn't tell you what the state's workforce actually costs. #waleg

Read the analysis:
https://t.co/54HmSCEnT0