One Week Later…
Portland blogger Paul Nickell covers the reasons why Measure 30 didn’t manage to pass even in tax-friendly Multnomah County. Here’s an excerpt:
“…[I] would wager that most citizens think the tax system exists to focus first on education, public safety, municipal infrastructure (streets, bridges, sidewalks) and protecting vulnerable persons. We can all argue about the next tier of needs (creating a healthy business climate, building parks, supporting the arts, creating urban renewal – you name it), but they are not and never will be in the first tier.
Contrast this to the scenario we see today: Citizens cry out for a safe city; city leaders talk of major league baseball. Citizens yearn for repaired potholes and sidewalks, city leaders talk of extended streetcar lines. Citizens longingly remember affordable water bills; civic leaders talk about buying the power company. Citizens demand a just and fair police bureau; the civic leaders are silent. And so on, and so on.”
Nickell, to be fair, also notes a interesting fact that the anti-tax groups didn’t mention: That Oregon has the lowest business tax burden in the nation.
(via Portland Communique)
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