How Legislators Can Balance Oregon’s Budget—Without Raising Taxes
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Despite an eight percent increase in general fund revenues,…
Read Blog DetailCategory: Tax and Budget
There’s Never Enough Money for Government
By John A. Charles, Jr. The news from Portland is that despite record…
Read Blog DetailMetro Should Dump the Garbage Tax
By Allison Coleman Portland-area voters just approved Ballot Measure 26-178, which imposes a…
Read Blog DetailPortland’s 100% Renewable Energy Claim Is “Greenwashing”
By Allison Coleman In 2001, the Portland City Council declared that by 2010,…
Read Blog DetailSomething’s Rotten in Metro’s Missing Garbage Tax Money
By John A. Charles, Jr. and Allison Coleman Metro is asking for a…
Read Blog DetailDoes Oregon Rank Dead Last in Corporate Taxes? NO
Trying to sell voters on the largest tax increase in Oregon history, Measure…
Read Blog DetailDoes Oregon Rank Dead Last in Corporate Taxes? NO
By Steve Buckstein Trying to sell voters on the largest tax increase in…
Read Blog Detail“The Rent Is Too Damn High!” — Why Rent Control Won’t Help
Once again, Portland led the nation this July with its home prices rising…
Read Blog DetailCascade Policy Institute Says NO to Measure 97
ELECTION RESULT: 59 percent of Oregon voters said NO to this sales tax…
Read Blog DetailMeasure 97: A $30 Billion Gamble Oregon Voters Shouldn’t Make
The massive gross receipts tax Measure 97 on Oregon’s November ballot (previously known…
Read Blog DetailOregonians Should Oppose Measure 97’s Regressive Taxation
The biggest proposed tax increase in Oregon history now has a measure number….
Read Blog DetailCascade Policy Institute Opposes Measure 97, the “Sales Tax on Steroids”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: Steve Buckstein [email protected] 503-242-0900 PORTLAND, Ore. – Cascade…
Read Blog DetailLike a Sales Tax on Steroids
Now that the massive Gross Receipts Tax measure IP 28 will be on…
Read Blog DetailA Sales Tax by Any Other Name…
Public employee union backers of Initiative Petition 28 have turned in more than…
Read Blog DetailA Sales Tax by Any Other Name…
Public employee union backers of Initiative Petition 28 have turned in more than…
Read Blog DetailVoters Decided to Leave Themselves Stranded by the Side of the Road
In the month since voters in Austin, Texas upheld new city regulations on…
Read Blog DetailIf Gambling Is a Problem, Who Is Responsible?
Governor Kate Brown opposes a plan by the Coquille Indian Tribe to build…
Read Blog DetailA Sales Tax by Any Other Name
Public employee union backers of Initiative Petition 28 appear to have turned in…
Read Blog DetailNew Report: Transportation Funding Should Be a State and Local Responsibility
Study Finds That Transportation Funding Should Be a State and Local Responsibility May…
Read Blog DetailWho Profits from Gambling?
Governor Kate Brown opposes a plan by the Coquille Indian Tribe to build…
Read Blog DetailEnjoy the illusion that you’re not really paying taxes, when you cash that expensive refund check
Are you happy getting three extra days to file your income tax returns…
Read Blog DetailHow Much of the Year Do Your Taxes Cost?
If every penny earned since the beginning of the year went to pay…
Read Blog DetailNo Fake Emergencies
I’ve written and spoken about the damage that minimum wage laws do, not…
Read Blog DetailNot One Dollar More
The State of Oregon will sell 84,000 acres of the Elliott State Forest…
Read Blog DetailPolicy Picnic – February 25, 2016
Please join us for our monthly Policy Picnic led by Cascade President and CEO John A….
Read Blog DetailTaxpayers Bear the Risk of a Very Rich Oregon Public Employees Retirement System
By Randall Pozdena The Oregon Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) fund is, once…
Read Blog DetailU.S. Supreme Court Today Hears Teachers’ Case to Be Free from All Union Dues
The U.S. Supreme Court hears oral arguments this morning in the Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association case aimed at protecting the First Amendment rights of free speech and free association for public employees nationwide, including Oregon.
Read Blog DetailFreedom in Film: Becket (1964)
Film and stage legend Peter O’Toole died December 14, 2013, at age 81….
Read Blog DetailPortland Worries About Homelessness, While Metro Makes Housing Less Affordable
The Portland City Council has decided to allocate $20 million to solve a…
Read Blog DetailPolicy Picnic – September 16, 2015
Please join us for our monthly Policy Picnic led by Cascade guest speaker Herb Grey…
Read Blog DetailMost Teachers Oppose Mandatory Union Fees
A national education journal, EducationNext, has just released results of its annual poll…
Read Blog DetailPut Individual Rights Above Those of Powerful Unions
By the time the U.S. Supreme Court rules in the Friedrichs v. California…
Read Blog Detail“Right to Try” Is a Good First Step, Should Be Expanded
By Anna Mae Kersey Oregon House Bill 2300 gives terminally ill patients access…
Read Blog DetailTaking Leave of Sickness
By Maxford Nelsen A version of this article by Freedom Foundation labor policy…
Read Blog DetailPress Release – Should Charities Be Required to Disclose the Names of Donors?
June 12, 2015 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: John A. Charles, Jr. 503-242-0900…
Read Blog DetailEvent Video – Do Citizens Have a Right to Privacy in Charitable Giving?
Cascade Policy Institute hosted a debate on the topic of donor privacy versus…
Read Blog DetailDon’t Steal the Kicker
Would you like to pay $284 less in Oregon personal income tax next…
Read Blog DetailA Generational Mistake
The Oregon Supreme Court last week struck down key 2013 legislative reforms to…
Read Blog DetailAmerica’s 2015 Tax Bill? It’s 31% of the Work Year
Tax Freedom Day arrives this year on April 24, six days later than…
Read Blog DetailProposed Tobacco Tax Increase Will Simply Encourage More Smuggling
State legislatures across the country have piled on the tobacco taxes over the…
Read Blog DetailWhen Is a Tax Not a Tax?
Governor Kitzhaber wants you to drive less, and he knows that the best…
Read Blog DetailPress Release: Report Shows No Return on Investment for Portland Seed Fund
December 3, 2014 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: John A. Charles, Jr. 503-242-0900…
Read Blog DetailThe Governor’s Budget: Much More Than Beer Money
Governor John Kitzhaber released his proposed 2015-17 budget this week. Critics were quick…
Read Blog DetailPress Release: New Report Proposes Better Outcomes, Lower Costs for State and Local Governments Through User Fees
PORTLAND, Ore. – A new report released by Cascade Policy Institute suggests numerous…
Read Blog DetailScare Tactics Not Working in Road Tax Debates
The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) recently issued a report describing the deteriorating…
Read Blog DetailKitzhaber’s “Clean Fuels Program” Is a Hidden Gas Tax
Many politicians on the West Coast have fallen in love with untested policies and programs they say will help solve global warming. Many of these policies are mind-bogglingly complicated. What, after all, is a low carbon fuel standard (LCFS), or clean fuels program? And how exactly do programs like “cap and trade” work? And, perhaps most importantly, how do these policies impact you, the consumer?
Read Blog DetailThe election is coming!: A discussion of Oregon’s 7 statewide ballot measures
Please join us for Cascade’s monthly Policy Picnic led by founder and senior policy analyst Steve…
Read Blog DetailCascade Policy Institute Gives Support to Measure 91
Cascade Policy Institute’s Board of Directors recently voted to support the latest marijuana…
Read Blog DetailNew Poll Shows 84% Percent of Oregonians Support Employee Choice
Eighty-four percent of Oregonians support allowing union employees to leave their union without…
Read Blog DetailA Prescription for Affordable Housing in Portland
A new issue faces Portland. City Hall is considering waiving development fees for developers of market-rate housing in the Old Town Chinatown district.
Read Blog DetailDo You Know Taxes Take 30% of Your Year?
If every penny earned since the beginning of the year went to pay…
Read Blog DetailUnderstanding Oregon’s Hidden Sales Tax on Energy
Please join us for Cascade’s monthly Policy Picnic led by Cascade Policy Institute President and CEO…
Read Blog DetailTriMet Finally Admits Rail Problems
Last week I wrote about the problems TriMet is having with its constantly…
Read Blog DetailMeet the New Tax Reform…Same as the Old Tax Reform
Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber, fresh off his early October special legislative session “Grand…
Read Blog DetailWhich Is the Monster? Tax limitations, or the taxes they limit
A City Club of Portland research panel has concluded that property tax limitation…
Read Blog DetailThe ObamaCare Exchanges: Nowhere Near As Competent As the Post Office
By Sally C. Pipes What was the worst product launch in history? New…
Read Blog DetailWelfare Pays More Than Entry-Level Work in Most States
Welfare currently pays more than a minimum-wage job in 35 states, according to…
Read Blog DetailSurprise! Mandatory Paid Sick Leave Has Real Costs
By Erin Shannon In March, Portland’s City Council unanimously voted to enact mandatory…
Read Blog DetailHotel Proposal Is Pouring Good Money After Bad
Last week the Metro Council unanimously approved two resolutions in favor of subsidizing…
Read Blog DetailCan We Correct Oregon’s High Corrections Costs?
By Brandon Maxwell Behind Oregon’s cultural mystique lies a troubling truth: Compared with…
Read Blog DetailMore Money, Same Problems for Oregon Schools
By William Newell Oregon’s 2013 legislative session ended with the passage of the…
Read Blog DetailBlame Unions for High Prison Costs
By Brandon Loran Maxwell What’s not to love about Oregon? It’s green. It’s…
Read Blog DetailCorrection Costs and Fiscal Restraint Don’t Need to Be at Odds
By Brandon Maxwell The Founding Fathers emphasized the vital need for the rule…
Read Blog DetailDo You Still Trust the Government?
By John Glennon President Obama said it himself: “If people cannot trust the…
Read Blog DetailA Problem Bigger Than PERS
By Doug DeFilipps Education writer Betsy Hammond recently reported that, according to a…
Read Blog DetailMetro’s Open Space Levy: A Bait and Switch for Taxpayers
Since 1995, Metro has been steadily buying up thousands of acres of undeveloped…
Read Blog DetailShould Oregon Replace the Income Tax with a Sales Tax?
In 2007 Governor Ted Kulongoski appointed me to represent taxpayers on the legislatively…
Read Blog DetailThe Marketplace Fairness Act: Taxation Without Representation?
Congress is poised to raise taxes again, this time by allowing states to…
Read Blog DetailTime to Reset Oregon’s Budget and Recharge Our Economy: Facing Reality 2013
The Oregon legislature is struggling to balance the state budget while meeting the…
Read Blog Detail“Housing Fairness” Bill Is Unfair to Landlords
By Doug DeFilipps Ending “housing discrimination” against holders of Section 8 rent assistance…
Read Blog DetailCoalition Releases New ‘Facing Reality’ Budget Report
For Immediate Release April 8, 2013 PORTLAND, Ore. – Americans for Prosperity-Oregon and…
Read Blog DetailDon’t End Tax Increase Warnings
In the late 1990s Oregon voters approved measures that require envelopes containing certain…
Read Blog DetailTobacco Cessation or Just Increasing General Fund Revenue?
The Oregon legislature is once again trying to raise the cigarette tax, this…
Read Blog DetailWhere’s the Secret Tax for the I-5 Bridge Proposal?
On Monday, the Oregon Senate passed House Bill 2800, the new Interstate 5…
Read Blog DetailThe Wages of Sin Taxes
In a misguided attempt to save us from ourselves, Oregon legislators have become…
Read Blog DetailMandatory Sick Leave Hurts the Working Poor
By Marc Kilmer On March 6 the Portland City Council may vote on…
Read Blog DetailCharity’s Unseen Benefit: Protecting Civil Society from the State
By Benjamin Zycher Charities and other nonprofit institutions perform a vast array of…
Read Blog DetailOregon Legislature Should End Its General Fund Lottery Addiction
A state legislator from Milwaukie, Carolyn Tomei, has introduced a package of bills…
Read Blog DetailTax Certainty for Nike? “Just Do It” for All
Governor Kitzhaber has called a special session of the Oregon legislature to enact…
Read Blog DetailRaising Taxes Won’t Reduce the Deficit
With just weeks to go before America slides off the so-called Fiscal Cliff,…
Read Blog DetailThree Oregon Tax Measures: What They Would Do
With less than a week to go in this election cycle, Oregonians are…
Read Blog DetailMeasure 81 Would Take Salmon off the Table
By Thomas Dulcich and Michael Barton Oregonians are most fortunate to border the…
Read Blog DetailTaxpayers Should Be ReVolted by Green Business Subsidies
Last week another publicly subsidized “green business” company filed for bankruptcy in Portland….
Read Blog DetailLike Moths to the Flame
Recently, The Oregonian published a feature story about the Portland Seed Fund. This…
Read Blog DetailStatement on Oregon’s Measure 80 Ballot Initiative
PORTLAND, Ore- The eight members of Cascade Policy Institute’s Board of Directors have released the…
Read Blog DetailKathryn Hickok discusses the merits of the proposed Multnomah County Library taxing district measure
The League of Women Voters of Portland hosted a debate on local ballot…
Read Blog DetailWhy Can’t Portland’s Pension Problem Be Solved Voluntarily?
By Shane Young In 2008, the Portland public safety fund realized it had…
Read Blog DetailPortland’s Proposed “Arts Education Tax”― Why Creativity and Government Subsidies Are Fundamentally at Odds
By Shane Young The “Arts Education and Access Income Tax” proposed by Portland…
Read Blog DetailOregon Cosmetology Regulations Entangle Hair Braiders
By Shane Young Did you know you need a license to braid hair…
Read Blog DetailTaxmageddon Would Wreak Havoc on Oregon Taxpayers
By Sven R. Larson, Ph.D. By now, I am sure you have heard…
Read Blog DetailLower the Capital Gains Tax, Ignite Oregon’s Recovery
By Eric Revell As the state of Oregon struggles to ignite an economic…
Read Blog DetailOregon Lawmakers: Get Proactive on the Economy
Who wouldn’t want to live in the Pacific Northwest? According to the 2010…
Read Blog DetailSteve Buckstein interviewed about his commentary, Oregon’s Budget Transformation
We sat down with Senior Policy Analyst, Steve Buckstein, to talk about government trying to do efficiently that which it shouldn’t be doing at all. SEE THE VIDEO
Read Blog DetailOregon’s Budget Transformation
Governor John Kitzhaber has called for transforming state government, in part by proposing…
Read Blog DetailTear Down These Walls!
As a founder of Cascade, I was asked to speak at the fourth…
Read Blog DetailThe Day We the People Stood Up
By Trent England On April 19, 1775, a group of ordinary, small-town Americans…
Read Blog DetailOregon’s Economic Outlook Slips Again in 2012
Hit hard by the national recession, Oregon lawmakers started the regular 2011 legislative…
Read Blog DetailGovernment Anesthesia
Nobody likes pain, but we need it. This may sound counterintuitive or cruel…
Read Blog DetailTaking Work Personally: How Individual Accounts Reward Personal Responsibility
Recently, I had a long conversation with an owner of a bakery near…
Read Blog DetailSave the Mail! – Delivery to Slow as Debt Crisis Looms
I read with a tinge of dismay that the U.S. Postal Service is…
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