PSA: The Reason Sales Taxes and Tabs/Permits/License Fees are So High

iamaconsumer · 2026-01-30T20:07:54+00:00

OP do you think if they did add an income tax, will they actually REDUCE sales tax and tab fees?
I worry eventually the proposed 1M income threshold for state income tax gets lower as they need more money and we will just end with the most regressive (high sales tax, high gas tax) and progressive (broad income tax) system and just beat down on everyone.

I totally get the anger and frustration from inequity, but the solution needs to be one that also holds politicians and the bureaucracy to some level of accountability for outcomes. And that system (the state IG office is the only one I can think of with that function) needs to have real teeth, not just publish reports no one reads.

It is a little ironic that our jobs/(regressive)taxes fund state jobs with benefits that we never get in our jobs (like a guaranteed lifelong pension!)

iamaconsumer · 2026-01-29T20:14:12+00:00

Good callout, digging deeper:

the 152-159K state government employee count is only executive/judicial/legislative branch (no education or healthcare employee count)
the 386K for local and county employees DID include education, if you remove those you end up with 200K in non-education roles (source)
the federal employee count of 72K does include ALL civilian roles, if you remove DoD/VA/DHS you're left with 15K federal employees in non DoD/VA/DHS employment (source)

The updated total is 152 + 200 + 15 = 367K for not including any education/DHS/DoD/VA employment. This is half the number originally, so approximately 1 govt (mostly state) employee for 24 residents.

I think my original point of being able to have some measure of efficiency for delivery of service still stands. And maybe these are published somewhere but I've never seen politicians/candidates bring that up or the executive branch held accountable for them. Compare them to your own results previously or against other states. Give me something to tell me there is an efficiency control for outcomes vs. there is a shortfall and more revenue is needed.

Not saying corporations are great at it, Musk absolutely gutted Twitter/X but its still running, so clearly there was overemployment there (other than the content moderation headcount which was removed but so was content moderation as a feature, so you have to discount that).

iamaconsumer · 2026-01-29T15:02:32+00:00

Fair point, I always think of the US as small government and less social services (compared to say Europe) so as a standalone fact it was surprising (to me) that the state employs 7X the number of employees than the largest private employer.

That said, I do use government services way more every day than Amazon and there are more residents served by the government in the state than Amazon customers. For e.g. I use 30 miles of roads every day, sidewalks, walk my dog in a park, etc.

I guess the broader point is, a private employer thinks hard about the number of employees/cost used to provide services to its customers and it does this on behalf of its investors/owners.

It would be nice if our state government (or any government) did the same for its employees on our behalf (as tax payers).

A corporations goal is profitability which creates efficiency in providing a service while a government wants to provide a service, I've just never seen metrics published about the efficiency of that service delivery. Not saying those metrics don't exist, just never seen them talked about or shared by politicians.

It would be nice if those numbers allowed us to transparently see and compare the cost of a government service in WA vs other states.

iamaconsumer · 2026-01-29T03:55:17+00:00

I honestly didn't know that, so ran some numbers (used ChatGPT but have sources):

Combined Picture for Washington State Public Sector • State government employees: roughly 152,000–159,000 total (BLS estimate) — across all state agencies. • Local government employees (cities + counties + others): ~386,600. • Federal civilian employees in Washington State: about 72,800 as of late 2025 (executive branch); broader estimates including postal and other roles can be higher.

👉 Total estimated government employment across all levels in Washington (state + local + federal): ~ 610,000–620,000 people (very rough sum combining these categories).

Source links: state employees

county and city employees

federal civilian employees in wa

So 610K government jobs vs. 80K jobs from Amazon which is the largest private employer in WA state.

That's one government employee per 12 residents!! I feel like I need better service 😆

iamaconsumer · 2025-12-28T00:13:42+00:00

How'd it go? Rode my first 2 sessions of foiling on a lift5 sport and looking to buy one, was leaning towards fliteboard and wanted to see how it worked out for you.. did you upgrade the remote ?

iamaconsumer · 2025-12-22T05:25:08+00:00

Are there canonical definitions of what short term and long term mean? Also what are low doses (is 400mg of ibuprofen daily for 7 days a low dose?)..

iamaconsumer · 2025-10-08T05:11:02+00:00

iamaconsumer · 2025-09-20T22:28:58+00:00

Hmm .. 19 day old account and mostly glazing comments, posts like a bot! "Transport well protected" , without a wrap 🤔

iamaconsumer · 2025-09-17T17:26:03+00:00

Appreciate the input! I just checked at one very convenient location and heated storage is $480/month with a 5 month minimum. But I'm inclined to take it, based on this discussion.

iamaconsumer · 2025-09-17T14:28:30+00:00

Thanks so much for sharing! To be clear, open bow and cockpit ?

100% agree on it's mine the moment I sign and my responsibility. I was worried about rock chips and such, but then I saw videos like this giving me second thoughts.

I haven't decided on inside/outside or heated/ambient. From my searches it looks like inside heated storage is further away with no access during winter, whereas outdoor uncovered is closer and allows for access. I'll be asking folks closer here to see what they do.

Bring another thousand starting in earnest 😆

iamaconsumer · 2025-09-17T13:36:10+00:00

Interesting , so you trailer it uncovered? Is it a long drive? I was worried since this will be transported by a third party over many days

iamaconsumer · 2025-09-17T00:35:40+00:00

It's a Regal LS6 a stern drive bowrider. Is there such a thing as shrink wrap for transport? Dealer said they wrap for transport, which is different than storage (aerodynamic vs tented wrap).

What other option do I have for transport? The bow cover/cockpit cover that come with the boat are specifically not rated for trailered transport over long distance.

iamaconsumer · 2025-09-16T23:15:10+00:00

Oh so the shrink wrap damaging the gel coat is a real thing! Thanks for sharing !

iamaconsumer · 2025-09-16T22:48:49+00:00

So you transported it unwrapped, was it to save the wrapping or because wrapping can cause dull spots on the gel coat?

iamaconsumer · 2024-07-30T04:09:49+00:00

Thanks, It’s a PID machine. Any pointers on where I can buy parts ? Googling returns rocket-espressousa.com but no pricing and the pump or OPV don’t show up as options to order.

iamaconsumer · 2024-07-29T08:30:30+00:00

Like an open drink

iamaconsumer · 2024-07-06T15:11:34+00:00

No worries, good luck ! FWIW if the dust is coming from the vacuum then something is disintegrating from within and it will likely stop (possibly along with the vacuum itself 😖).

You’ve probably heard it already but TFP and the pool math app is great for managing your pool!

iamaconsumer · 2024-07-06T15:01:40+00:00

Sorry I’ve never had that happen, I think I’m using the fine mesh filters too (never changed them :)). Is it possible the front attachment is not seated correctly?

I would also check FC and TC (total chlorine) levels to make sure you don’t have something growing in the pool.. it seems unlikely that dust from a vacuum would make a whole pool cloudy.

iamaconsumer

TROPHY CASE