A tax break for Washington's newspapers has been approved by state Governor Chris Gregoire. The proposals were passed by the Washington Legislature towards the end of April by a majority of 46 to 2, and gives newspaper publishers and printers a 40% cut in main business tax.

The plight of US newspapers, due to a struggling business model and declining advertising revenue, has been well documented of late. Washington in particular has been particularly effected with the complete closure of the print version of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Source: Seattle Times