Executive Summary: December 21, 2003

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Read and download the accompanying news release, "Two New Reports Heat Up Debate on Measure 30."

December 21, 2003

A Small Price to Pay:
Measure 30 Asks Little of Most Oregonians

by Jeff Thompson, Michael Leachman, and Charles Sheketoff

In February, Oregonians will vote on a revenue package adopted by the 2003 Legislative Assembly in an effort to balance the budget and avoid deeper budget cuts in vital programs. If Measure 30 fails, education, public safety, and human services programs will be cut by $790 million in the current state budget.

Cuts of this magnitude will impact all Oregonians, while the increased taxes under Measure 30 are small for most taxpayers.

OCPP’s analysis shows that:

• Middle-income households will pay $81 in net additional taxes under Measure 30 in 2003, or less than $7 per month.

• Low-income households will pay just $14 in net additional taxes.

• The richest one percent of Oregonians will pay $4,084 in net additional Measure 30 taxes.

Several large federal income tax cuts in recent years ensure that most Oregonians will be paying less in federal taxes. For all Oregonians, the decrease in federal taxes in considerably larger than the small increases under Measure 30:

• Middle-income Oregonians will get an $844 federal tax cut in 2003.

• Low-income Oregonians will get a $106 federal tax cut in 2003.

• The richest one-percent of Oregonians will benefit from a $36,500 federal tax cut in 2003.

Similar to most other taxpayers, most Oregon seniors will pay little under Measure 30, and wealthy seniors will pay more than middle- and low-income seniors.

• Low-income seniors, with incomes under $15,000, will pay an additional $8.

• Seniors with incomes between $30,000 and $50,000 will pay $67.

• High-income seniors, those with incomes with $100,000 or more (averaging $280,000), will pay an additional $1,373.

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