Now that Oregon’s economy is finally showing signs of life, we are again hearing arguments against the so-called “kicker law.” The law states that whenever personal or corporate income tax collections are more than 2 percent higher than state economists project, the excesses are rebated to taxpayers.

Those who think government can . . . Read more!

Thanksgiving is the quintessential American holiday. We learned in grade school that it evolved from celebrations the early Pilgrims held to commemorate their bountiful harvests at Plymouth colony in the 1620s.

What we didn’t learn in school is that nearly half of those Pilgrims who sailed here from England on the Mayflower died of starvation in their first winter of 1621. In fact, the governor . . . Read more!

Can states solve their public education problems by directing a higher percentage of spending into the classroom? That’s the goal of a nationwide movement known as “the 65 percent solution.” It aims to pass a law in every state requiring school districts to spend at least 65 percent of their operating budgets in classrooms “for the benefit of teachers and kids.”

According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, Oregon spends . . . Read more!

Remove Portland’s Business Income Tax to improve the city’s economy

Summary

The City of Portland is widely perceived as being anti-business. Stubbornly high unemployment rates and higher business taxes than surrounding communities feed this perception. Phasing out the city’s Business Income Tax (BIT) will do more than anything else to . . . Read more!