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.
Featured Publications
- The Fallacy of a $3.5 Billion State Budget Deficit
- Fallout from Measures 66 and 67 that purport to tax “rich” Oregonians and corporations
- Business Taxation: A Loose Cannon On A Dark Night
- After raising taxes, Oregonians should reject moves to gut the Kicker law
- Kicker Envy
Creating the Zero-Tax State: Why Oregon should replace taxes with user fees - The “Perfect Logic” of Taxing Smokers
- The Unseen Costs of Ribbon-Cutting: Losses from Economic Development Programs
- Prosperity or Portland? Remove Portland’s Business Income Tax to improve the city’s economy (two-page commentary) (23-page full report)
Publications
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 the starting point of the ... 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 is a calendar-based measure of ... 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 slipping economic outlook and the ... read more
Steve Buckstein explains Oregon’s slipping economic outlook
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
Oregon’s Economic Outlook Slips Again in 2012
Hit hard by the national recession, Oregon lawmakers started the regular 2011 legislative session―and then the new shorter annual 2012 session―with calls to create jobs. ... 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 members, the potential of a ... read more
Eric Fruits discusses how a Right to Work law would benefit Oregon
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
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. I won’t tell you which ... read more
Press Release: Requiring a Prescription for Cold Medicine Has Not Reduced Meth Use in Oregon
Media Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Steve Buckstein Senior Policy Analyst Cascade Policy Institute Phone: (503) 242-0900 steven@cascadepolicy.org February 21, 2012 Requiring a Prescription for ... read more
Corrupted Capitalism and the Housing Crisis
To say that our public discourse today stands in need of some improvement is undoubtedly an understatement, but perhaps no area of our common life ... read more
