Tax Policy

In the famous words of Oliver Wendell Holmes, “Taxes are the price we pay for civilization.” Taxation serves three purposes: funding programs which benefit society as a whole (such as public schools), discouraging harmful practices (such as pollution), and countering the concentration of wealth that results from unregulated markets. We the People must:

• maintain the Oregon estate tax on estates of over $1,000,000. People have the right to leave their children a legacy, but not a dynasty;

• enact a more progressive state income tax. The wealthiest members of society can and should pay more, the neediest less. We would specifically raise the income level below which no state income taxes are due;

• reduce the use of regressive taxes (such as sales and property taxes);

• reform Oregon’s kicker law to set aside any excess as a rainy day fund;

• abolish the Oregon lottery as state-sponsored gambling;

• investigate programs for taxation of point-source pollution; and

• eliminate subsidies for resource extraction.

The Pacific Green Party of Oregon advocates progressive taxation. Below are some links on tax policy. Links do not constitute endorsements by the Pacific Green Party of Oregon.

Oregon Center for Public Policy
National Campaign for a Peace Tax Fund