Taxes, taxes, taxes: Should candy be taxed? Income? An update.

As you know, the state’s budget picture is looking worse — by about $1 billion. And while taxes were mostly off the table during the 2009 legislative session, the conversation is starting to change.

First, Gov. Chris Gregoire signaled that she was open to a discussion on taxes. Then, Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown wrote that she agrees with Gregoire.

And yesterday, Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles blogged for the Seattle P-I that she wants candy and gum to be taxed. She’s brought up the proposal before, but this time she has this study to bolster her argument.

Not everyone is interested in discussing tax increases. Sen. Joe Zarelli, who is a member of the Economic and Revenue Forecast Council, said the state should be more responsible. “The baseline has been reset,” Zarelli wrote.

With three months to go until the 2010 Legislative session, stay tuned for updates on the tax discussion.

Tags: taxes