Mindful of the importance of maintaining a vibrant press, the Washington legislature sent the governor a bill giving the strapped newspaper industry a temporary tax break. –DB
First Amendment Center
April 28, 2009
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — The Legislature has approved a measure to give the state’s struggling newspaper industry a temporary break on the state’s main business tax.
The Senate passed the bill on a 46-2 vote on April 26. It passed the House last month and was sent to Gov. Chris Gregoire yesterday. As of this morning, the Democratic governor hadn’t scheduled action on the bill.
Under H.B. 2122, the business and occupation tax on newspapers would be cut by 40% through 2015.
Newspapers across the state have resorted to buyouts and freezes on pensions and retirement-plan contributions to stem the financial free-fall.
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer printed its last edition last month, and was converted to an Internet-only publication with a much-reduced staff.
Copyright 2009 First Amendment Center
Copyright 2009Associated Press