End regressive tax structure

A Dec. 1 letter, “Fight for tax deduction,” was an appeal to allow our citizens the right to deduct our extremely high sales tax from federal income tax. What the writer and all voters of this state should be fighting for is an end to our regressive tax structure; the most regressive in the entire United States. I am personally embarrassed by this fact. No wonder we can’t properly support schools and the mentally ill, among many other urgent needs.

Washington’s top 1 percent pay only 2.4 percent while in Idaho and Oregon, the top 1 percent pay 6.4 percent and 6.5 percent. Conversely, Washington’s lowest-income 20 percent pay an incredible 16.8 percent while Idaho’s and Oregon’s lowest-income 20 percent pay only 8.5 percent and 8.1 percent.

Comparing ourselves to our neighbors, it looks like about 60 percent of the poorest would get a tax break.

A simple one-page-form surtax (a tax on our federal tax with no deductions) would take 10 minutes to fill out and mail with a check. The solution is simple; all we need is the goodwill from the upper 40 percent of our fellow Washingtonians.

Leonard Butters

Spokane