A service of the Taxpayer Association of Oregon Foundation.
Solar Power Leaks Tax Dollars Bob Clark August 15, 2008 Rooftop solar electric systems are prohibitively costly to manufacture and install with or without government subsidies. As reported in the Oregonian, page E1, August 8, 2008, a 2000 watt solar system costs about $21,000 including installation. Under existing tax credit financing structures, the buyer of…
By Margaret Goodwin, Some people invest their life savings in stocks and bonds, others sock it away in bank accounts to pay for their kids’ education and their retirement. Seventeen years ago, the Ockendens invested their savings in a 158 acre parcel of land in a rural residential area in Josephine County, where they live.…
by Andy High During the recent boom years in 2003-2005, sellers were calling the shots – dictating prices and terms to multiple bidders who were knocking down their doors in many markets. Today, with the real estate market slowing in many parts of the country, all the market fundamentals show that buyers are now in…
By Jim Thompson, Exec. Dir. Oregon State Pharmacy Association With another session of the Oregon Legislature complete, major emphasis was on healthcare where results showed the more effort government puts into healthcare reform the more the pattern stays the same. As we tilt at windmills in moving toward universal healthcare, one pattern stands out above…
by Andy High Many of you may not know but the Legislature gave school districts taxing authority without requiring a vote of the people. In 2007, the Legislature passed the SB 1036 which allows school districts to charge a construction excise tax. This allows school districts to charge up to $1.00 per sq foot on…
By Britt Storkson Governments today are finding it increasingly difficult to raise taxes without major public outcry and threats to their re-election. Not satisfied with cutting spending to stay within what they receive in taxes governments don’t just go away – they go somewhere else to separate taxpayers from their money. Often that somewhere else…
by Jason Williams Mel Zucker of the Oregon Transportation Institute never believed the hype about a public demand to build a light rail from Hillsboro to Forest Grove and people wanting a train from Beaverton to Wilsonville. Zucker called Tri-Met for the ridership data to see if the thriving metropolis of Forest Grove was truly…
By Larry Huss The Oregon Leadership Forum was held again at the beginning of December. It was the fourth, fifth, sixth time, I’ve lost track because they all look the same and they all follow a predictable agenda – one that is designed never to contradict the popular wisdom of Oregon’s entrenched Democrat governors. When…
By Greg Wasson It is common to lament the big, often out-of-state “abuse” of the initiative process by hearkening back to the days when Oregon initiatives were pure expressions of home-grown populist yearnings, uncontaminated by inter-state commerce. Problem is, those days existed only briefly, if ever. Less than a decade after the initiative’s creation, the…
by Kurt Weber A likely contract between Library Systems & Services, LLC and Jackson County, Oregon would reduce annual operating costs from $8.75 million to $4.3 million. The 15-branch Jackson County Library Systems has been closed since early April, due to the anticipated end of a federal timber payments program. The $4.3 million contract is…