opinion
Death and taxes? Not true for All Anymore
T
hey say only two things in
life are for sure: death and
taxes. But what isn’t so set
in stone is how much of your hard
earned dollars you pay for taxes.
The Oregon Center for Public
Policy outlines just how much – or
little – certain groups of people
and companies put into the collec-
tive tax pot.
The income group in Oregon
that pays the highest share of their
income to state and local taxes:
Lowest-income taxpayers.
The income group in Oregon
that pays the lowest share of their
income to state and local taxes:
Highest-income taxpayers.
Oregon state and local general
revenue as a share of income in
1988: 15.4 percent.
Oregon state and local general
revenue as a share of income in
2008: 14.9 percent.
Oregon state and local govern-
ment spending as a share of
income in 1988 14.7 percent.
Oregon state and local govern-
ment spending as a share of
t AX f ActS t hAt mA tteR
Center for Public Policy
income in 2008: 15.6 percent.
Share of Oregon income taxes
paid by corporations in 1973-75:
18.5 percent.
Share of Oregon income taxes
corporations are projected to pay
in 2011-13: 6.9 percent.
Anticipated state revenue from
personal income taxes in 2011-13:
$12 billion.
Anticipated state revenue from
the Oregon Lottery in 2011-13:
$1.1 billion.
Anticipated revenue from corpo-
rate income taxes in 2011-13:
$898 million.
2009 federal poverty line for a
family of four: $21,947.
Of the 42 states with income
taxes, the number that taxed the
income of a family of four living
at the poverty line in 2009: 13.
State income tax paid in Oregon
by a family of four living at the
poverty line in 2009: $200.
Oregon’s rank in taxing the
income of a family of four living
at the poverty line in 2009:
6th highest.
The share of Oregon’s total cap-
ital gains income in 2008 that
went to the wealthiest 1 percent of
taxpayers: 68 percent.
The
cost
of
Governor
Kitzhaber’s proposal to give pref-
erential tax treatment to income
from capital gains in 2011-13: $25
Cost during 2011-13 budget
period of the income tax cut
scheduled to take effect in January
2012 for the wealthiest 4 percent
of Oregonians: $134 million.
Cost during the 2011-13 budget
period to increase Oregon’s
Earned Income Tax Credit from 6
percent of the federal credit to 9
percent: $43.4 million.
Cost to Oregon of the home
mortgage interest deduction in the
The income group in Oregon that
pays the highest share of their income
to state and local taxes: Lowest-
income taxpayers
million.
Cost during 2011-13 budget
period of the “accelerated” or
“bonus” depreciation corporate
tax cut enacted by the Oregon leg-
islature in March 2011: $93 mil-
lion.
2007-09 budget period:
$884.5 million.
Projected cost to Oregon of the
home mortgage interest deduction
in the 2009-11 budget period:
$1.3 billion.
Projected cost to Oregon of the
home mortgage interest deduction
in the 2011-13 budget period: $1.6
billion.
Increase in the cost of the home
mortgage interest deduction from
2007-09 to 2011-13:
84 percent.
Share of Oregon taxpayers get-
ting no benefit from the home
mortgage interest deduction in
2008: 61 percent.
Cost of film tax credits sold for
tax year 2010 to raise money for
film subsidies:
$7.5 million.
Average profit from the pur-
chase of 2010 film tax credits: 6.9
percent.
Share of profits from film credit
purchases going to the wealthiest
5 percent of Oregon taxpayers in
tax year 2008: 87 percent.
State with the lowest combined
state and local business taxes as a
share of the economy in 2009,
according to the Council on State
Taxation (COST): Oregon, tied
with Delaware and North
Carolina.
‘going green:’ A real Black American Earth Day
F
orty-one years ago Earth
Day was established by the
global community and now
literally hundreds of millions of
people throughout the world will
celebrate Earth Day on Friday,
April 22, 2011.
For Black
Americans and millions of people
of color, Earth Day 2011 should be
both a day of celebration and
rededication to the struggle to free
our communities from the devas-
tating toxicity of environmental
injustice. Going “green” should
not be reduced to a popular fad or
to something that just sounds pro-
gressive or cool.
Official theme: “Earth Day
2011: A Billion Acts of Green”
encourages people everywhere to
take the time to do an act of envi-
ronmental service and advocacy
that will contribute to improving
the quality of life for all living
things on earth. That is a good
achievable goal worthy of our sup-
port and involvement. With all the
terrible climatic changes and relat-
ed severe weather consequences
of global warming and environ-
mental damage to the world’s ego
system, all people should take at
least one day a year to assess how
to make the world a better and a
more healthier place to live.
A “Black American Earth Day”
should be a day of solidarity with
all people, but in particular with
other people of color, who like
Black Americans are dispropor-
tionately exposed to environmen-
tal injustices and life-threatening
pollutions and toxic hazards.
These dangerous problems are
local, statewide, regional, national
and international. In Harlem,
South Central Los Angeles,
Southside Chicago, Houston,
Philadelphia, Detroit, Cleveland,
St. Louis, New Orleans, and in just
about every other place in
America where we reside, we find
ourselves disproportionately with
high rates of asthma and other res-
piratory diseases, multiple forms
of cancer, and other sicknesses
that are directly related to harmful
exposure to environmental haz-
e DucAtion
S eRviceS
Benjamin F.
Chavis Jr.
ards in the air that we breathe, as
well as in the water and food that
we consume.
Let’s use Earth Day 2011 as an
opportunity to raise more aware-
ness in our communities about the
importance of environmental con-
cerns and issues. We have to con-
nect the dots. The health of our
communities is impacted by the
environment of our communities.
Did you know that many of the
growing lists of so-called “learn-
ing disabilities” that affect too
many of the children in the Black
American community maybe
environmentally related to expo-
sures from lead poisoning and
other toxic substances laced in
many of our neighborhoods? The
overall quality of life in Black
America can be and should be
improved if we all become more
conscious and involved with
understanding the importance of
demanding and adhering to envi-
ronmental justice.
The United Nations in 2009
established April 22 as “Mother
Earth Day.” The first Earth Day
was in the United States back in
1970 organized by Senator
Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin.
Over the years, Earth Day has
grown into a worldwide obser-
vance and celebration. In the
early 1980’s, the Environmental
Justice Movement began to be
evolved,
led
by
African
Americans in North Carolina and
in other states who saw the vital
necessity to stand up and speak
out against the growing evidence
of environmental racism and
injustice.
Again, a Black American Earth
Day should be a day set aside for
grassroots organizations and com-
munity leaders to mobilize and
organize around all the environ-
mental issues that continue to
impact the quality of life and
future of our children and commu-
nities. There should, in fact, be a
sense of urgency in 2011. With all
the budget cutbacks at the local,
state and federal levels, the last
thing that we need is for African
Americans to become more
exposed to environmental hazards
because of the lack of funding or
from the cutting of budgets in the
areas of public health and environ-
mental protection.
I am optimistic because the hip-
hop community appears to be
more environmentally conscious
as youth activists are raising their
voices in support of Earth Day
activities. In the South Bronx, the
birthplace of hip-hop culture, one
of the most effective grassroots
environmental groups is named
“Sustainable South Bronx” led by
young community leader, Majora
Carter.
On “Greening The
Ghetto,” Majora Carter stated
innovatively, “Say it loud, I’m
black, green and proud!” We need
more conscious and active leader-
ship like Sister Carter. Let’s cele-
brate Earth Day! Let’s make it “A
Black American Earth Day!”
Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. is
Senior advisor for the Black
alliance for educational options
Week on the Web
France has vowed to
step up airstrikes in
Libya to support the
cause of the rebels …
in “Breaking News”
A year after the BP
Gulf oil spill, there
are 3,200 wells that
remain unplugged
and unsupervised at
the bottom of the
ocean … in “National News”
Win free tickets to an advance
screening for “Fast
Five” … in “Movie
Reviews”
Illmaculate and
G Force released a
free hip hop remix
of Al Green’s 2008
come-back album
“Lay It Down” … in
“Music Reviews”
The Washington State Senate has cut
teachers pay by 3 percent … in
“Northwest News”
www.
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April 20, 2011 The Portland Skanner page 5