Welcome to TaxSleuth.com

Welcome to TaxSleuth.com, a website dedicated to tax transparency in Washington. The goal of this site is to allow you to better understand the cost of government services on a very personal level-in other words, to help provide an estimate of how much Washington residents really pay in state and local taxes.

While many tax rates are available from various sources, they must often be researched one at a time and are difficult to locate for average citizens who aren’t sure where to look. For the first time, there is a place citizens can go to see all of their state and local tax rates in one place! So take a look around, explore our tax map, tax calculators and get your personalized tax report. Since this is a new website, we’ll be making some minor tweaks over the next few weeks in an effort to continually improve the site. Let us know your thoughts—what works, what doesn’t, and what you’d like to see that isn’t here already.

Government transparency is a growing movement across the nation. Currently, the federal government and more than 20 states host spending transparency websites. The Evergreen Freedom Foundation has been a strong supporter of these efforts and was instrumental in helping to bring spending transparency to Washington state. Washington’s spending transparency website, Fiscal.wa.gov, launched in late 2008 and represents a substantial step toward greater transparency; however, knowing how your dollar is spent is only half of the transparency equation. Taxpayers need a single source to show them what taxes and rates they are subject to, and shouldn’t have to search ten different websites to find the tax information they need.

For the first time, there is a place citizens can go to see all of their state and local tax rates in one place!

TaxSleuth.com allows taxpayers to compare their individual tax burdens to the average resident’s annual tax burden, or to figure out how much their tax would be if they lived in another part of the state.

Whether you believe government provides too few services or too many, it’s vital to know how much government takes from your income. Getting a better idea of how much of your hard-earned money goes to government puts you in a better position to more effectively evaluate government services.

The technology and tools are available now for states to create tax transparency websites. TaxSleuth.com is proof that it can be done and that it needn’t cost a fortune (or $2.7 million as Washington’s Office of Financial Management claims). TaxSleuth.com was completed in less than six months for under $75,000, using one analyst and two part-time contractors.

We hope TaxSleuth.com poses a challenge to government—that’s a good thing—in terms of moving toward putting tax information in one place so people can find it. In fact, it’s our hope that one day the state will set up an online database where users can find their state and local tax rates and calculate their tax burden, rendering TaxSleuth.com obsolete—true government tax transparency.

Evergreen Freedom Foundation
Founded in 1991, the Evergreen Freedom Foundation is a private, nonprofit, public policy research organization in Washington state dedicated to advancing individual liberty, free enterprise and limited, accountable government. EFF’s funding comes from more than 5,000 individual members and various grant-making foundations. EFF does not accept government funding.

Disclaimer
The information provided on TaxSleuth.com is for educational purposes only and does not constitute advice. Tax estimates are estimates only, based on responses from taxing districts and the information entered by website visitors, and should not be relied upon as a final indication of a visitor’s tax obligation. This website should not be used as a substitute for competent advice from a tax professional.

Privacy
TaxSleuth.com values the privacy of its website visitors. This website does not use visitor information for any purpose other than to help improve the website. Information submitted through our forms and any other visitor information is never sold or used for any other purpose. In addition, no visitor information is available at this website or anywhere else that is publicly available.


New Tax Changes About Us Methodology Tax Map Tax Forum Tax Calculators My Tax Report Tax Trends Glossary Contact Us	Welcome to TaxSleuth.com Welcome to TaxSleuth.com, a website dedicated to tax transparency in Washington. The goal of this site is to allow you to better understand the cost of government services on a very personal level-in other words, to help provide an estimate of how much Washington residents really pay in state and local taxes. While many tax rates are available from various sources, they must often be researched one at a time and are difficult to locate for average citizens who aren’t sure where to look. For the first time, there is a place citizens can go to see all of their state and local tax rates in one place! So take a look around, explore our tax map, tax calculators and get your personalized tax report. Since this is a new website, we’ll be making some minor tweaks over the next few weeks in an effort to continually improve the site. Let us know your thoughts—what works, what doesn’t, and what you’d like to see that isn’t here already. Government transparency is a growing movement across the nation. Currently, the federal government and more than 20 states host spending transparency websites. The Evergreen Freedom Foundation has been a strong supporter of these efforts and was instrumental in helping to bring spending transparency to Washington state. Washington’s spending transparency website, Fiscal.wa.gov, launched in late 2008 and represents a substantial step toward greater transparency; however, knowing how your dollar is spent is only half of the transparency equation. Taxpayers need a single source to show them what taxes and rates they are subject to, and shouldn’t have to search ten different websites to find the tax information they need. For the first time, there is a place citizens can go to see all of their state and local tax rates in one place! TaxSleuth.com allows taxpayers to compare their individual tax burdens to the average resident’s annual tax burden, or to figure out how much their tax would be if they lived in another part of the state. Whether you believe government provides too few services or too many, it’s vital to know how much government takes from your income. Getting a better idea of how much of your hard-earned money goes to government puts you in a better position to more effectively evaluate government services. The technology and tools are available now for states to create tax transparency websites. TaxSleuth.com is proof that it can be done and that it needn’t cost a fortune (or $2.7 million as Washington’s Office of Financial Management claims). TaxSleuth.com was completed in less than six months for under $75,000, using one analyst and two part-time contractors. We hope TaxSleuth.com poses a challenge to government—that’s a good thing—in terms of moving toward putting tax information in one place so people can find it. In fact, it’s our hope that one day the state will set up an online database where users can find their state and local tax rates and calculate their tax burden, rendering TaxSleuth.com obsolete—true government tax transparency. Evergreen Freedom Foundation Founded in 1991, the Evergreen Freedom Foundation is a private, nonprofit, public policy research organization in Washington state dedicated to advancing individual liberty, free enterprise and limited, accountable government. EFF’s funding comes from more than 5,000 individual members and various grant-making foundations. EFF does not accept government funding. Disclaimer The information provided on TaxSleuth.com is for educational purposes only and does not constitute advice. Tax estimates are estimates only, based on responses from taxing districts and the information entered by website visitors, and should not be relied upon as a final indication of a visitor’s tax obligation. This website should not be used as a substitute for competent advice from a tax professional. Privacy TaxSleuth.com values the privacy of its website visitors. This website does not use visitor information for any purpose other than to help improve the website. Information submitted through our forms and any other visitor information is never sold or used for any other purpose. In addition, no visitor information is available at this website or anywhere else that is publicly available.
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