State needs to change course on tax burden

Washington state received troubling news from a recently published economic report. The 2026 Competitiveness Redbook, a study conducted by Washington Alliance for a Competitive Economy, found that the state's business climate is in alarmingly poor shape.

The Redbook examines 61 different economic indicators to take the pulse on the health of Washington's economy. This includes various data such as electricity prices, unemployment insurance payments, minimum wage, taxes and educational pursuits of the population.

The consensus of the findings is that even as Washington's small business economy...