Tax and Budget

Noted Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes said, “Taxation is the price we pay for civilization.” But is it?

Economist Mark Skousen best framed the response to Holmes in his paper Persuasion versus Force, where he wrote: “Taxation is the price we pay for failing to build a civilized society. The higher the tax level, the greater the failure.”

Cascade analyses Oregon state and local tax policy with an eye toward enhancing individual liberty, personal responsibility and economic opportunity.

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Video

Steve Buckstein explains Oregon’s slipping economic outlook

| April 17, 2012
We sat down with Cascade’s senior policy analyst, Steve Buckstein, to talk about his latest commentary describing Oregon’s falling on the Rich States, Poor States ... read more

Eric Fruits discusses how a Right to Work law would benefit Oregon

| April 6, 2012
Dr. Eric Fruits, Ph.D., sits down with the Cascade Policy Institute to discuss his latest study on how a Right to Work law would be ... read more

Oregon Budget 101 feat Dan Lucas – Other Funds Budget

| May 2, 2011
Dan Lucas discusses the Oregon Other Funds Budget, from the origins of the money to the reasons why we need to get the money into ... read more

Oregon Budget 101 feat Dan Lucas – Regional Spending Comparisons

| April 21, 2011
Watch part II of Dan Lucas’s Oregon Budget 101 series. This episode discusses regional spending comparisons between Oregon, Idaho, Washington, Utah, and California. read more

Oregon Budget 101 with Dan Lucas – Overview and Growth

| April 12, 2011
Part I in the Oregon Budget 101 series by Cascade Research Associate Dan Lucas. This segment discusses the components of the Oregon budget, and the ... read more
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Steve’s Testimony before the Senate Committee on Finance and Revenue (UPDATED)

| February 25, 2011
Chair Burdick and members of the Committee, my name is Steve Buckstein. I’m Senior Policy Analyst and founder of Cascade Policy Institute, a non-partisan, non-profit ... read more

Steve discusses the Soda Tax on KOIN

| January 21, 2011
Steve was interviewed by KOIN 6 in Portland about the Soda Tax (segment from 1/19/2011). read more

Tea Party Video

| April 8, 2010
As April 15 approaches and thousands of tea party activists are planning events around the country, The Heartland Institute has produced a stunning and inspiring ... read more

Video from the Blog

Audio

Insolvency, One Step at a Time

The Oregonian on Sunday examined TriMet’s deteriorating finances and called attention to high-cost union contracts, first approved in 1994, as ... read more

Working to Live―or for Runaway Government Spending?

Tax Freedom Day arrived this year on April 17, coincidentally the same day tax returns were due. Tax Freedom Day ... read more

Sarah Ross talks with Bill Post about Oregon’s slipping economic outlook

In her first weekly interview on the Bill Post Show, Cascade’s communications coordinator Sarah Ross talked with Bill about Oregon’s ... read more

Steve Buckstein talks about unions and education with Victoria Taft

Steve Buckstein appeared as a guest Monday on the Victoria Taft Show, where he discussed the growing number of union ... read more

Terminate Illegitimate Government Programs…Before They Terminate Us

I recently heard that the Oregon legislature actually may kill a wasteful, non-productive, and from my perspective, illegitimate government program. ... read more

SunShot Makes Solar Energy a Long Shot

President Obama’s Fiscal Year 2013 budget includes $310 million for an ongoing energy research program called SunShot. The goal of ... read more

Kathryn Hickok talks with Bill Meyer about charitable giving

Kathryn Hickok talks with radio show host Bill Meyer to discuss impacts of changes in the tax code on charitable ... read more

How to Turn Oregon’s Business Climate Around

Two recent reports confirm that Oregon has a long way to go if it wants to be seen as a ... read more

Take a Gamble on the Train

[audio:3-9-11SteveTakeaGamble.mp3] Click the play button to hear the audio commentary   by Steve Buckstein Download PDF The Oregon state legislature ... read more

Run Government Like a Business?

[audio:QuickPoint11-24-10Steve.mp3] Click the play button to hear the audio commentary By Steve Buckstein Download PDF Should we run government like ... read more