Here's What Washington Does With Your Tax Dollars

I have an issue with the increasing amount of Washington State taxes, yet I suck up and pay them because I justify it in my head as a necessary evil, all in the form of the greater good for all of us.

We want nice roads and communities, that costs money. We want to feel protected, and that costs money as well.

But I want to know where our Washington State taxes go? What exactly are we paying for, anyway? Keep reading to see a breakdown, it is very eye-opening!

I keep hearing about government overspending, wasteful spending, and Washington D.C. politicians talking about the hard spending cuts that need to happen (although it never seems to take effect on their paychecks… at least from what I've seen, and that was way before DOGE was a thing).

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Washington State Taxes Driving to Death (or So it Seems)

The one thing I've never quite understood is how I can be taxed on the same thing in multiple ways.

Take for example the five different ways we get taxed in Washington State just for the act of driving.

1. First, you have to pay for my driver's license, which includes tax money, and that needs to be done every 7 years.

2. You buy a car in Washington. I've paid money and taxes on it.

3. Then you have to get car tabs to prove it can be on the road; that's more money and taxes, but I have to do that every year.

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4. You need car insurance to legally drive the car on the Washington roads, and there's a tax on that (which you pay per month or however your insurance is set up).

5. Finally, there are Washington State taxes on gas to make your car go.

If you decide to pull a trailer, depending on what is on the trailer, add some more tabs, and more taxes. Get an EV, they'll tack on another tax on that to make up for the lost revenue from the missing gas tax.

Yes, I know it is my choice to drive, and I'm sure to the right person, there's a good reason for all of these taxes, but still. Oh, and don't get me started on if I'd like to go spend the weekends in the mountains on a boat fishing.

Yes, these are sarcastic, and satiric observations, but they might make you think of taxes in a different way.

Photo by David Ryder/Getty Images

Here’s What Washington State Taxes Are Paying For

According to the Washington State Economic And Revenue Forecast Council, Washington State gets its tax dollars from Retail sales tax (45%), Business and occupation tax (21%), Property tax (14%), Use tax (3%), Real estate excise tax (3%), other agencies (5%), and various other smaller sources (9%).

These categories were then divided into 15 categories (for the 2023 General Fund Appropriations) by the Washington State Standard.

Public Schools
Human Services (Long-term care, state hospitals, developmental disabilities administration)
Medicaid & Health Care
Higher Education
Public Safety
Debt & Other Payments
General Government
Judicial Branch
Legislature
Elected Officials' Offices
Arts & Culture
Natural Resources
Government Services
Commissions
Business and Employment

Being an outsider, and just looking at the graph given by the Senate Committee Services, I find it sad to see that government categories has four different areas, all bigger than Arts and Cultures.

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