Let me put a disclaimer right up front: it is rather meaningless to compare states in terms of revenue collections (as, unfortunately, is often done in political and policy discussions). How Oregon ranks relative to other states fails to inform whether revenue collections are sufficient to support the public structures that create opportunity and the quality of life that Oregonians desire and expect.
That said, if people are going to put forth comparisons, they at least should be based on facts.
And, as OCPP’s latest issue brief shows, the facts are that as a share of total personal income:
Oregon is a low-tax state . . .
But fees are high . . .
Adding up to slightly below average revenue
Read more in Oregon: Where Taxes are Low, Fees are High and Revenue Is Slightly Below Average
This post was originally published on www.blueoregon.com on March 7, 2012. The original post can be found at http://www.blueoregon.com/2012/03/were-low-tax-high-fee-state/.
More about: oregon tax rank, personal income, rankings don’t matter, revenue
