The Washington state Senate approved a tax package that would raise $890 million over the next sixteen months.
The tax package includes a temporary three-tenths-of-a-cent sales tax increase plus increased taxes on services and bottled water. It also ends a sales tax break for some companies based outside Washington. On a separate vote the Senate voted to add an extra $1-per-pack tax on cigarettes.
Then leaders will have to agree on a final revenue package to close a $2.8 billion budget gap.
