{"id":2344200,"date":"2024-09-21T07:56:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-21T11:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/washington-state-ranks-no-35-for-economic-political-freedom-report-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-09-21T07:57:45","modified_gmt":"2024-09-21T11:57:45","slug":"washington-state-ranks-no-35-for-economic-political-freedom-report-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/washington-state-ranks-no-35-for-economic-political-freedom-report-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Washington state ranks No. 35 for economic, political freedom: Report &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwashington-state-ranks-no-35-for-economic-political-freedom-report-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2344200&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A report by Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) evaluates the economic and political freedom across U.S. states, ranking Washington\u200c at No. 35 out of 50, a decline from No. 32 the previous year. The report assesses government efficiency, regulatory freedom, and energy resiliency, with Washington scoring poorly\u200b in government efficiency (No. 38) and regulatory freedom (No. 46), but performing better in energy resiliency (No. 20). It highlights Washington&#8217;s \u200ccomplex regulatory environment and tax structures, including a \u2064<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-political-activism-and-influence-of-bill-gates\/\" title=\"The Political Activism And Influence of Bill Gates\">capital gains tax<\/a> enacted in 2021, which is currently challenged by\u2063 Initiative 2109 seeking its repeal. Despite these challenges, Washington benefits from abundant hydroelectric\u2064 power, which supports business operations in the \u2063state. The report aligns with Republican views on lower taxes and less regulation, though it acknowledges its partisan\u2062 nature.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Washington state ranks No. 35 for economic, political freedom: Report<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1765936\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>(The Center Square) &ndash; Washington ranks 35 out of the 50 U.S. states in Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories&rsquo; 2024 Index of Freedom report, which measures government efficiency, regulatory freedom and energy resiliency.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Based in Pullman in eastern Washington, SEL is a global leader in power system protection, automation and control solutions.<\/p>\n<p>The third annual&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/selinc.com\/api\/download\/bltb1c5f43a3bdaed41\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Index of Freedom report<\/strong><\/a>&nbsp;uses data from the American Legislative Exchange Council, the ALEC-Laffer State Economic Competitiveness Index, the CATO Foundation, the U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the U.S. Energy Information Administration.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;States are given a score, which is an average of the categories, with the lowest score reflecting the best performance on the Index and the highest score reflecting the worst performance,&rdquo; the report explains. &ldquo;Each state is then ranked 1st&ndash;50th. All data used in the report are publicly available.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Washington&rsquo;s No. 35 overall ranking represents a fall of three spots from last year&rsquo;s No. 32 position. In 2022, the Evergreen State was ranked No. 36.<\/p>\n<p>Broken down by category, Washington came in at No. 38 in Government Efficiency, 46 in Regulatory Freedom, and 20 in Energy Resiliency.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Washington has a relatively complex and restrictive regulatory environment that complicates the ability to do business and grow,&rdquo; the report notes. &ldquo;Though Washington does not have typical state personal or corporate income taxes, it does levy a 7 percent capital gains tax as well as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-could-double-its-taxes-to-start-massive-new-social-program\/\" title=\"California Could Double Its Taxes To Start Massive New Social Program\">gross receipts tax<\/a>, creating a mixed picture for its state tax structure.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The capital gains tax was passed by the Legislature in 2021 and withstood a subsequent court challenge to its constitutionality.<\/p>\n<p>It faces another challenge this November in the form of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov\/biennium\/2023-24\/Pdf\/Initiatives\/Initiatives\/INITIATIVE%202109.pdf?q=20240920140848\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Initiative 2109<\/strong><\/a>&nbsp;to repeal the capital gains tax.<\/p>\n<p>Washington&rsquo;s business and occupation tax is a gross receipts tax measured on the value of products, gross proceeds of sale, or gross income of the business.<\/p>\n<p>The SEL also mentioned a relatively bright spot in Washington.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Washington is, however, buoyed by the abundance of affordable, clean, and reliable hydroelectric power, which helps keep the lights on for businesses across the state,&rdquo; according to the report.<\/p>\n<p>The Center Square reached out to economist Paul Turek with the state Employment Security Department for his take on how Washington fared in this year&rsquo;s Index of Freedom report.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I must preface my response by stating I do not endorse nor disavow any of the findings of the SEL report or the reference reports in ALEC from where information was derived,&rdquo; he said in an email &ldquo;My comments are limited to the structure of the reports and the economic\/political background framing the reports.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>While recognizing the partisan nature of the report, he noted its utility.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The reports appear to be consistent with stated Republican platforms of lower taxes and regulatory reform,&rdquo; Turek said. &ldquo;Washington appears to be interesting to SEL in the sense of energy resiliency, which may be why SEL keeps its headquarters in Pullman.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>He went on to say, &ldquo;The SEL and ALEC reports, in my opinion, have merit based upon the principles they espouse. They offer businesses an opportunity to determine what business climate might be more beneficial for them for location and relocation purposes.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Politics, especially during a presidential election year, come into play, he noted.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The reports also seem to be serving to drive a line between conservative Republican economic principles and more liberal Democratic ones; the latter appearing to be more in favor of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/analysts-bidens-massive-6-trillion-budget-will-cut-economic-growth-by-1-over-next-decade\/\" title=\"Analysts: Biden\u2019s Massive  Trillion Budget Will Cut Economic Growth By 1% Over Next Decade\">raising capital gains<\/a> and corporate income taxes,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Washington is singled out by SEL negatively for its gross receipts tax, which is our state&rsquo;s B&amp;O tax. I don&rsquo;t think the tax is very popular with the state&rsquo;s business community and can act as another cost of doing business here. I understand, to some extent, [that] as being a tradeoff for a state that has no personal income tax.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Turek referenced the presidential race between former President Donald Trump, a Republican, and Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democrat.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;In the end, each person and business has to decide what they find important in order to make their best future decisions whether they be economic and\/or political ones,&rdquo; he said. &nbsp;&ldquo;We get a chance to test some of this in a couple months.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1765936\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1765936\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Washington state is ranked 35th out of the 50 U.S. states in the 2024 Index of Freedom report by Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL), which evaluates government efficiency, regulatory freedom, and energy resiliency. SEL, located in Pullman, eastern Washington, is a prominent provider of power system protection and automation solutions. This third annual report utilizes data from various sources including the American Legislative Exchange Council and the CATO Foundation. States are scored based on an average across categories; lower scores indicate better performance while higher scores reflect poorer performance.<\/p>\n<p>Washington&#8217;s ranking has dropped three places from last year&#8217;s position at No. 32 and is an improvement from its No. 36 rank in 2022. In specific categories, Washington placed No. 38 for Government Efficiency, No. 46 for Regulatory Freedom, and No. 20 for Energy Resiliency. The report highlights that Washington has a complex regulatory environment that hinders business growth despite not having typical personal or corporate income taxes; it does impose a capital gains tax of 7% along with a gross receipts tax.<\/p>\n<p>The capital gains tax was enacted by the Legislature in 2021 and survived legal challenges regarding its constitutionality but faces another potential repeal this November through Initiative 2109. The state&#8217;s business and occupation tax operates as a gross receipts tax based on sales value or gross income.<\/p>\n<p>On a positive note, SEL points out that Washington benefits from abundant affordable hydroelectric power which supports businesses statewide.<\/p>\n<p>Economist Paul Turek from the state Employment Security Department commented on the Index of Freedom report&#8217;s findings without endorsing them outright but acknowledged their relevance to Republican economic principles advocating for lower taxes and regulatory reform.<\/p>\n<p>He noted that while there are partisan elements to these reports\u2014drawing distinctions between conservative Republican views versus more liberal Democratic ones\u2014they provide valuable insights into what might be advantageous for businesses considering relocation or establishment within different states.<\/p>\n<p>Turek also mentioned how political dynamics could influence perceptions around taxation policies like Washington\u2019s gross receipts tax (B&amp;O tax), which may not be favored by local businesses but serves as compensation for lacking personal income taxes.<br \/>\nAs political campaigns heat up ahead of elections\u2014specifically referencing former President Donald Trump against Vice President Kamala Harris\u2014individuals must weigh their priorities when making economic or political decisions moving forward<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2344201,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AP24014160623172-1024x683.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[41395,41396,13666,32076,32667],"class_list":["post-2344200","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-economic-freedom","tag-political-freedom","tag-rankings","tag-washington-examiner","tag-washington-state"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AP24014160623172-1024x683.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2344200","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2344200"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2344200\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2344201"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2344200"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2344200"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2344200"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}