Oregon Tax News

FCC Proposes Internet Tax
By Oregon Tax News,

On tax day before the Senate Commerce Committee, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) proposed the National Broadband Plan that would expand the Universal Service Fund (USF) tax on landline and cell phones to include broadband internet.  The FCC estimates the National Broadband Plan will cost $350 billion to develop, but that the plan will pay for itself.  The goal is to tax all types of telecom service, including Internet service, and use this pool of money to subsidize the cost of broadband.

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski testified, “It proposes a once-in-a-generation transformation of the Universal Service Fund from yesterday’s technology to tomorrow’s.” Read more…

Several reports show continual problems with Oregon and Federal stimulus spending
By Oregon Tax News,

Oregon State officials boast more that the 2009 Legislature’s trumpeted economic stimulus package created or retained 7,500, a feat just shy of the 8,000-plus jobs reported for Oregon under the far bigger federal stimulus program. Yet, Oregon reports spending about $93 million so far compared with $1.3 billion.  However, looks can be deceiving.  Harry Esteve, of The Oregonian, reported that the average Oregon jobs created by the state stimulus lasted about two weeks and did little or nothing to dent the state’s bleak employment outlook. Unemployment was at 11.9 percent when the stimulus money started flowing in and still remains stuck at 11.5 percent.  In addition, the state counted anyone working on a stimulus-related project as a job, regardless of whether the worker was already employed and in no danger of being laid off. Read more…