An escalating trade war between the United States and China, along with tit-for-tat tariffs on imported goods, may curtail business in West Coast ports, reducing labor hours and creating a ripple effect throughout the Pacific Northwest economy. The latest volley in the trade war brings the battle to the Pacific Northwest home front, especially its…
Motorists traveling on I-5 and I-205 through Portland during peak travel times are likely to pay a freeway toll in the not-too-distant future. The Federal Highway Administration requested more information but, in a letter January 8, indicated the Oregon Transportation Commission’s request to impose tolls is “likely eligible” to be approved.
By Taxpayer Association of Oregon Foundation, Last year, union membership in Oregon dropped by 7.6 percent, registering the sixth largest drop in the country. According to new data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, from 2017 to 2018, Oregon unions lost 20,000 members. This is the eighth largest drop in the country and is…
In a sign of the times, on Thursday the Portland airport had a box accepting food donations for federal airport workers and by Saturday it was taken down as the shutdown ended. The Willamette Week reported that almost 2,000 federal workers in Oregon have applied for unemployment benefits because of the partial government shutdown.
Oregon hospitals just got hit with a $320 million revenue tax last year with House Bill 2161 (also known as Measure 101). Now Oregon lawmakers are coming back to tax them again by stripping away their charitable property tax benefits. It’s been a long-standing policy that hospital and healthcare clinics that provide charity care can…
America’s uninsured rate held essentially steady from 2016 to 2017, according to recently released U.S. Census Bureau figures. Oregon, however, one of the few states to see a significant uptick in the uninsured rate.
Comparing Oregon to other states helps us understand and communicate how prosperous the State of Oregon government actually is. We also included regulations as they are a different form of taxation because government gets to achieve a goal for free but at a significant expense to a small business or a taxpayer family budget.
The Wall Street Journal ran an op-ed connecting state’s pension problems with home values. While the article doesn’t mention Oregon, our PERS crisis and housing affordability problems make the article especially relevant.
By Taxpayer Association of Oregon Foundation, Many Oregon businesses and residents feel like state government meddles too much in their everyday lives. They also feel like all this meddling does not do much to make their day-to-day lives much better. New research shows they may be correct. Oregon has the sixth highest number of regulatory…
Oregon politicians broke the law in setting convicted criminals free In 2017, the Governor and the Legislature approved House Bill 3078 which reduced prison time 20% to 30% for Identity Thieves, Auto theft and Property crimes. Politicians blatantly broke the law by releasing criminals early in violation of the Oregon Constitution. Voters put minimum sentencing…