An economic commission headed by Bill Gates Sr. Tuesday recommended that Washington adopt a state income tax as a means of reducing regressive sales and property taxes.

The Washington State Tax Structure Study Committee submitted several alternatives for a flat tax system to a joint committee of the state House of Representatives and the Senate.

Gates, an attorney and the father of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Jr., calls the flat tax proposals more equitable than the current tax system, which places a greater burden on the poor than on the rich.