It was a study from 2007-8 I believe. Just checked it out the other day because everyone in every state always believes their government is the worst/most wasteful. I'm sure this year's tax increase will hurt a little, but compared to most other states Oregon has a favorable climate for business. Of course a poll of business owners towards local government would be negative...business owners always hate government. I grew up from age 11 working weekends in the manufacturing company my father started so I know all about governmental burdens...and why business owners hate them..and how ridiculous they can be. But, the argument that Oreogn is driving business away because of their "poor business climate" doesn't really hold a lot of water. Businesses move from one place to another all over the country...especially when localities pony up sweetheart deals for them. I'm not a fan of PERS...I got into a big fight with an old gf of mine. She was a teacher and I was telling her PERS and the fact that they didn't have to make any contribution to the insurance costs for her family were out of line with the "real world"...she got very pissed...but I was right.
Here is the research for FY 2010. http://www.taxfoundation.org/files/bp59.pdf Oregon is ranked 14th best this year in corporate tax climate. For the past 4 years they were in the top 10. So, looking at this I can understand why business is concerned. 1 - Taxes went up slightly in FY 2010 and will go up more in FY 2011 with the new laws passed. 2 - The trend is towards higher taxes But honestly...it's not like we are ANYWHERE near being bad as far as business taxation...we're not even close to average at this point. It will be interesting to see where OR ends up being ranked next year...
These days, when the tax rates get too high, the masses start sending tea bags in the mail to their congressmen.
I don't think it is just the tax rate that have business owners upset with the state. It is the powerful political influence of the public employees that is really upsetting. I don't know, but don't think, that other states have such a powerful public employees union. And the killer is they are incredibly effective on the political level. For some reason I have a hard time understanding, public employees are entitled to bumps each year no matter what the ecomonic situation. And if the gov't can't pay for these bumps, I guess corporations and wealthy people will. But whatever, I can't imagine our company is leaving and it's not like they layed off hundreds here.
BTW-the kicker rebate is next to be taken away. Let's see how posters feel when their own pocket is about to be picked to go to a rainy day fund . . . which really means go to support PERS and public employees salaries.
Yeah, "rainy day fund" when referred to in politics is just a lie. I'd like anyone to come up with an example of a government that was able to hold onto the concept long-term. It lasts a while then they start coming up with ways to raid it...if you doubt...go do some research on social security The kicker is a bit odd...but it seems to me like it would be political suicide to stop it. Maybe we'll get a chance to see here in the near future...
I'm sad to see that one go. I've used it as a means for a nice weekend at the coast. Oh well, tax & spend, tax & spend, tax & spend, tax & spend..............................................
Never mind what they say, it's what they do that counts. Republicans always raise taxes on the poor and lower taxes on the rich. Democrats always raise taxes on the rich and lower taxes on the poor. Never in my lifetime has either party strayed from that attack. I'm neither poor nor uber-wealthy, so I have never seen my taxes lowered. I am intelligent enough to see who can afford to pay more, and who cannot. Until the Bush/Cheney/Haliburton damage has been paid for, people who made money from it will have to pay some back. Seems more than fair. Let's get real for a sec, everyone netting a million a year or more could easily, and should morally, DONATE an additional $100,000 a year to help our country recover from the ridiculous profit-taking that put them in such a precious position. Billionaires could obviously afford an extra 10 million a year to say thanks to the millions of regular people who made them so filthy rich. The trouble with a Capitalistic society is that Capitalists have no patriotism, not even a hint of it. They are all about taking and hoarding the money at the expense of their countrymen.
So are you OK with giving up your tax kicker . . . which is what the gov is suggesting. That seems to hit everybody.
BTW, Oregon still has by far the lowest overall business taxes of any state on the west coast. I am hoping this actually makes quite a few of these businesses who've been sponging off Oregon pick up and go suck some other state's resources dry and wear out their infrastructure. Without them this state would be the national model of modern schools, parks, and new roads that it was 50 years ago, before the concept of bribing companies to exist became avant garde here. The ultimate example of this is Beaverton. The ugliest city in the most beautiful state was built nearly entirely by government (your taxes) subsidy of businesses like Nike, who farm out nearly all their manual labor to child slave labor camps overseas, and nearly all their tech help to the mid-east. Most of the freeloaders move to Nevada when they are asked to pay for their share, as Nevada is a state founded and built on the idea of stealing from the poor to give to the rich. You've got to be seriously greedy to actually want to live in a dump like that. Oregon is better off without parasites like them.
I have personally always donated it back to the state, but I doubt it will be eliminated. Every governor in the last 20 years has tried and failed to keep it. The business tax kicker, which is different, has been kept once I believe, and I'd eliminate that entirely. Any subsidizing of business is anti-American and absolutely anti-Capitalist, and why we have a huge deficit.
Poor people don't (directly) pay taxes. I don't think that your statements are all that accurate. Ed O.
They weren't. He knows it. But as a die hard lefty he is obligated to follow the party lies and lines as he is told to.
