Hurts so good
Who says Oregonians hate taxes?
Hospitals and managed care health plans around here are begging to be taxed. Because they're hoping that the new state taxes will be plowed right back into payments to them for services rendered, plus federal matching payments, under Medicaid (a.k.a. the Oregon Health Plan). Without more Medicaid funding, the health care industry will lose more revenue than it will pay under the new state tax.
Word from Washington, D.C. is that such taxes won't count toward the federal match for too much longer, and so the "providers" of health services are urging the state to be quick about it. "Tax me! Hurry!"
It sure looks like the upcoming "special" session of the Legislature is going to be dealing with more than just the relatively sterile study of tax reform that was first proposed. Besides the hospital tax, gay marriage will doubtlessly be on the agenda somewhere.
| Posted at 6:36 AM | Permalink |
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Comments (6)
The only meaningful tax reform available to Oregon is to implement a "sales tax." And guess what? It ain't never gonna happen. Oregon will forever receive a penny back in change and will never pump its own gas.
The special session should be dedicated to closing corporate tax loopholes and if the health care industry wants to be taxed, then tax them.
Posted by Justin | April 7, 2004 6:54 AM
Session?
We don' need no special session.
Posted by PanchoPdx | April 7, 2004 8:03 AM
The Oregonian reported today that interest in a special session seems to be waning, which I found interesting more for the fact that it leaves the anti-marriage advocates out of luck in their hopes to discuss it then.
Posted by torridjoe | April 7, 2004 9:29 PM
and as for a sales tax, the last thing we need is regressive taxation.
Posted by torridjoe | April 7, 2004 9:30 PM
Conventional wisdom says that a sales tax is regressive. I've done the math. Making between $10 and $20K a year, in a state like Washington, with no income tax and a relatively high sales tax, personally I come out a lot better. Rent, utilities and food is not taxed.
Oregonians need to stop repeating "conventional wisdom" that isn't always. Taxes in this state have become very regressive. Look where the maximum income tax kicks in.
Making a low wage last year with no benefits, I was and am still subject to the Multnomah Country Tax which largely, from what I could tell in the papers (even The Oregonian, the public schools' best friend), funded medical insurance at around $900 per teacher per month. (They contribute nothing; I had none. Go figure.)
Wake up, Oregon. You keep shooting self in feet.
(Several shotgun blasts with Measure 5.)
Posted by Petey | April 7, 2004 10:31 PM
Sure, sales tax (but not on food, etc.) and no income tax may be a better deal than what we've got--but that's irrelevant. It's not going to happen. Ever. Tell me that they'll repeal the income tax, or reduce it, or reduce property taxes if only we'd agree to a sales tax and I'll laugh in your face.
We'd be fools to believe them.
Posted by Mark Jones | April 8, 2004 3:08 PM