As 2019 draws to a close, we look back at the Center’s publications that proved most popular. Here they are, starting with the fifth most popular:
5. Six missed opportunities in the 2019 legislative session
The 2019 Oregon legislative session was historic, with the enactment of the largest investment in education in memory, tenant protections, and paid family leave. Still, Oregonians took notice that a number of excellent pieces of legislation in the area of tax policy did not make it through the finish line. We will continue to research, advocate, and keep you informed on these policies that would improve the well-being of Oregonians through changes in our tax structure.
4. Oregon’s biggest housing subsidy needs to get children off the streets, not subsidize Oregon’s rich
It struck a nerve with our readers to hear that, even as the housing crisis continues to wreak havoc on the lives of many Oregonians, the state’s biggest housing subsidy does next to nothing to alleviate the problem. With a price tag close to one billion dollars, Oregon’s mortgage interest deduction is mainly a subsidy for well-off homeowners. Efforts to reform this subsidy got farther than ever, but still fell short. We will continue working with legislators until we see common sense and plain decency prevail in this key piece of housing policy.
3. Lighting up the cannabis tax facts
Our readers caught a good buzz from our yearly look at how much revenue the cannabis tax is delivering to the Oregon treasury and where the money is going.
2. Tax day is a day to fight poverty
Tax Day is one the most important days on the calendar when it comes to the fight against poverty. That’s the day many working families struggling to pay the bills claim the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) on their tax returns. (Note: a couple of months following the publication of this piece, the Oregon legislature renewed and bumped up Oregon’s EITC.)
1. Income inequality and more income inequality
Income inequality is not only Oregon’s and our country’s biggest economic problem, it is also the issue that consistently animates our readers. Our report showing income inequality in Oregon has reached a new record, as well as two other publications on inequality (here and here), scored tops amongst our readers. Oregonian’s deep interest in income inequality is an encouraging sign that we can collectively do something to reverse it.
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