Washington Business Summer 2019 | Washington Business | Page 16

washington business Of Note Giant Cranes Arrive at Port of Tacoma Four cranes that are among the largest on the West Coast arrived via ship at the Port of Tacoma this spring. The cranes arrived just as the port celebrated its centennial. The new additions to the Northwest Seaport Alliance will enhance the port operations’ capacity. The new cranes are capable of serving two 18,000-TEU con- tainer ships at the same time. The improvements will support larger container cranes and vessels with their outreach of 24 containers and a lift height of 165 feet above the pier deck. The four super-post-Panamax cranes are identical to four that arrived in the Pacific Northwest last year and will be installed at Husky Terminal at the northwest end of the Blair Waterway in Tacoma. The terminal underwent $250 million in improvements on Tacoma’s General Central Peninsula. The cranes will be immediately deployed into operation as they are commissioned. The Northwest Seaport Alliance, including the ports of Seattle and Tacoma, is the fourth-largest container gateway between Asia and major distribution points in the Midwest and East Coast. The Port of Tacoma celebrated its 100th birthday last November and supports more than 29,000 industrial and manufacturing jobs in the region. Credit: Northwest Seaport Alliance 16 association of washington business Washington Residents Pay 17th Highest Taxes Per Capita A r e p o r t b y t h e Wa s h i n g t o n Research Council (WRC) found that Washington state ranks 17th in per capita tax burden in the nation. The findings refute a KUOW story that claimed Washington’s tax structure “means Washington taxes are low compared to other states, on average. States that tax people based on income bring in higher revenues.” WRC’s Emily Makings said of the claim, it’s “just not the case,” citing the most recent data from 2016 that puts the state squarely in the high- er-tax category. “Washington’s state and local tax- es per capita were $5,050 in 2016. This was higher than the national average of $4,946 and Washington ranked 17th in the nation. Further, Washington’s state and local tax growth from 2015 to 2016 was the highest in the country,” Makings wrote. The full report can be read online at http:// bit.ly/ WAtaxstructure. For more information on tax and fiscal issues, contact AWB Govern- ment Affairs Director Clay Hill at [email protected] or 360.943.1600.