Editorial

Oregon needs tax reform ... now

Schools are closing early, bridges are crumbling and people are dying as medical services are cut. We can hide no longer from some ugly truths about Oregon's tax structure.

There is hope. A plan is circulating in Salem that would decrease income taxes, increase jobs, reduce property taxes on our homes, and provide more stable funding for schools and roads.

How? (Whisper it here: sales tax).

The plan under review would be revenue neutral for taxpaying Oregonians. It would reduce property taxes on primary dwellings that can be a burden for our elderly on fixed incomes and young families just starting out. It would reduce income and capital gains taxes, which cause many business owners to take their companies and jobs to Washington state.

The plan would reduce the awful "boom to bust" cycle of Oregon public funding, which cuts education, medical services and roads when Oregonians need them most. If we had such a tax today, Oregon would be 25 percent better off than under the current system.

Oregonians have fought a sales tax in the past. But it is now time to listen to those in Salem, Republicans and Democrats alike, who say that California and Washington profit from Oregon's current tax structure.

The time has come for meaningful change.

Eric Dolson, Publisher