News
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, December 27, 2017
A5
Walden: Oregonians will see real tax breaks
Congressman
says tax bill will
stimulate the
economy
By Richard Hanners
Blue Mountain Eagle
Oregonians will see real
tax breaks and a faster grow-
ing economy under a new tax
bill approved by Congress
Dec. 20, according to Rep.
Greg Walden.
Walden, who represents
Oregon’s Second Congressio-
nal District, praised the bill in
a conference call to Oregon
media on Dec. 19, saying he
received input on the initial
proposal from nearly 2,000
Oregonians by email and
phone calls.
“I appreciate the input. I
think it made the bill better,”
he said.
Walden said he was able
to talk to House Ways and
Means Committee Chairman
Kevin Brady, R-Texas, and
House Speaker Paul Ryan,
R-Wisconsin, “about the is-
sues Oregonians cared about”
and make improvements to the
original House bill.
“There were also issues in
the Senate bill they were con-
cerned about, and we pushed
back on some of those,”
Walden said. “In the end,
working inside with the lead-
ers who were writing the bill, I
think we came to a much better
place.”
Congress passed the Tax
Cuts and Jobs Act on Dec. 20.
Man shot,
alleges he was
kidnapped
in Morrow
County
EO Media Group
Police believe a man was
kidnapped and shot Thursday
in rural Morrow County.
The 48-year-old man
from Eugene was discovered
about 7:30 a.m. in a vehicle
at Love’s Truck Stop, west of
Boardman. He was suffering
from a single gunshot wound
and was transported to Good
Shepherd Medical Center,
Hermiston, for treatment.
According to Oregon State
Police, a preliminary inves-
tigation revealed the victim
was shot at another location
and transported to Love’s by a
citizen who was waved down
by the victim on Interstate 84
near milepost 151.
The victim alleges to have
been kidnapped and dropped
off near that area, by abduc-
tors in a maroon van who
fled the scene in an unknown
direction. According to po-
lice, there is no evidence at
this time indicating there is a
threat to the general public re-
garding this incident.
Anyone who may have
witnessed any suspicious cir-
cumstances or observed the
victim and suspect vehicle
on Interstate 84 near mile-
post 151 Dec. 22 are asked to
call the Oregon State Police
Southern Command Dispatch
Center at 1-541-664-4600
and reference case number
SP17461025.
The final House vote was 224-
201, with a dozen Republicans
joining the unanimous Demo-
crats in opposition. In the Sen-
ate, the vote was 51-48 along
strict party lines.
The first overhaul of the tax
code in three decades, the tax
bill reached bicameral com-
promise one month after it was
introduced in November. In
1986, Congress spent a year
on a tax bill that saw bipartisan
support before reaching Presi-
dent Ronald Reagan’s desk.
Tax breaks
Walden noted that taxpay-
ers in his district should see
tax benefits right away.
“The hard-working fami-
lies in Eastern, Southern and
Central Oregon, the people
I represent, that earn about
$50,000 a year, the median
household income in the dis-
trict, will receive a tax break
of about $1,300,” Walden said.
“Not just in 2019 but in the
next several years. That adds
up to $10,400 in real federal
tax breaks over the next eight
years for that family in Eastern
Oregon.”
Republicans have promoted
the bill as tax reform — partic-
ularly as a way to simplify tax
filing.
“By nearly doubling the
standard deduction, even fewer
Oregonians will have to hire an
accountant to search the 73,954
pages of the tax code to scour
out to see if they qualify for any
of the loopholes and deductions
that are there,” Walden said.
Sixty percent of people in
the district never file an item-
ized return, he said. By dou-
Eagle file photo
U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, speaks to community
members during a town hall meeting in the Mt. Vernon
Community Center Feb. 9.
bling the standard deduction,
doubling the child tax credit
and changing the tax rates in
each income bracket, nine out
of 10 U.S. tax filers in the future
will never have to go through
itemizing their taxes anymore,
he said.
Many of the House Re-
publicans who voted against
the bill came from New York,
New Jersey and California —
states with high state and local
taxes.
“One thing I heard loud and
clear from Oregonians was
that because of our incredibly
high state income tax that they
should be able to deduct that as
well as property taxes,” Walden
said.
The new bill allows individ-
uals and families to deduct up
to $10,000 in state and local in-
come, property and sales taxes.
The deduction for mortgage in-
terest will continue for existing
mortgages, and the deduction
will be available for new mort-
gages on first or second homes
up to $750,000. The charitable
deduction was also expanded.
of the bonds, which typically
are used to finance public in-
frastructure projects, but they
were retained in the confer-
ence agreement.
One concern is that the tax
cuts could increase the feder-
al deficit by an estimated $1.4
trillion over 10 years. Walden
said he was confident the tax
bill will stimulate the economy
by at least 0.4 percent, and that
growth will increase tax reve-
nues and address the deficit.
The Joint Committee on
Taxation forecast 0.8 percent
growth in the economy un-
der the Senate bill, and the
Tax Policy Center estimated
0.6 percent growth under the
House bill.
But the Committee for a
Responsible Federal Budget
said the more modest claim
of 0.4 percent growth per year
would cover only two-thirds of
the deficit generated by the tax
cuts. The group also said 0.4
percent growth was “highly
unlikely to materialize as a re-
sult of tax reform alone.”
With the individual tax rate
reductions set to expire in eight
years, while the corporate rate
cut is permanent, critics have
also argued the bill primarily
benefits corporations and the
wealthy.
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley,
D-Oregon, described the bill
as a “bank heist.”
“While the rich gloat over
their gold, middle-class Amer-
icans get coal in their stock-
ings,” he said in a statement.
“The tax scam so favors the
wealthy that 83 percent of the
benefits go to the richest 1 per-
cent.”
it’s like to grow a business,” he
said.
In addition to lowering
the corporate tax rate from 35
percent to 21 percent, the bill
offers significant tax relief to
small businesses and doubles
the estate tax exemption to
$11.2 million, which should
benefit many family-owned
ranches, farms and businesses,
Walden said.
A Senate provision that will
lower excise taxes for craft beer
and wineries, popular business-
es in Oregon, was approved by
the House.
The backbone of the Or-
egon economy is small busi-
nesses, farmers and ranchers —
“not giant companies,” Walden
said. These people will be able
to afford a new pickup truck or
combine or to “do the things
they wouldn’t ordinarily have
done, and that feeds back into
the economy,” he said.
“That’s not just me saying
that,” Walden said. “There are
a hundred economists from
Harvard, Yale and elsewhere
that really believe this will
stimulate growth.”
He said he talked to CEOs
of large companies about
the tax bill, including AT&T,
which told him because of the
tax bill they would invest $1
billion of their capital. That
could be a large build-out in
broadband if they chose to do
so, he noted.
Affordable housing efforts
will be boosted by retaining
the low-income housing tax
credit and the tax-exempt sta-
tus of private-activity bonds,
Walden said. The initial House
version would have ended use
Walden said he also heard
from Oregonians about how
important the medical tax de-
duction was for them. The de-
duction was expanded for med-
ical expenses exceeding 7.5
percent in 2017 and 2018 and
10 percent in 2019.
At the same time, the in-
dividual mandate penalty tax
from the Affordable Care Act
was eliminated. The nonpar-
tisan Congressional Budget
Office estimated that repealing
the individual mandate would
result in 4 million people losing
health care coverage in 2019
and 13 million losing coverage
in 2027.
Economic benefits
The bill was also about “get-
ting the economy to really take
off as it has in the past,” Walden
said. He noted few congress-
men had ever been small busi-
ness owners, while he and his
wife, Mylene, owned radio sta-
tions in the Hood River and The
Dalles for more than 20 years.
“I know what it’s like to
meet a payroll. I know what
C OPS AND C OURTS
Arrests and citations in
the Blue Mountain Eagle are
taken from the logs of law
enforcement agencies. Every
effort is made to report the
court disposition of arrest
cases.
Grant County
Circuit Court
Dakota C. Stout, 20, John
Day, pleaded guilty Aug. 31
to misdemeanor possession
of methamphetamine com-
mitted on June 2. He was
sentenced to 15 days in jail,
24 months probation and 80
hours community service,
and fined $200.
Caleb Vielma, 28, Fruit-
land, Idaho, pleaded guilty
Dec. 21 to first-degree theft
and felon in possession of a
firearm, both felonies, com-
mitted on Nov. 9. He was
sentenced to 30 days in jail,
36 months probation and 80
hours community service,
and fined $550.
Grant County
Sheriff
The Grant County Sher-
iff’s Office reported the fol-
lowing for the week of Dec.
14-20:
• Concealed handgun li-
censes: 6
• Average inmates: 20
• Bookings: 4
• Releases: 6
• Arrests: 1
• Citations: 0
• Fingerprints: 4
• Civil papers: 17
• Warrants processed: 4
• Asst./welfare check: 5
• Search and Rescue: 0
Oregon State
Police
Dec. 20: Report of a semi
truck that slid off Highway
395 near the Highway 402
junction and blocking the
road.
Dec. 23: Responded with
John Day ambulance and po-
lice to Highway 26 near Golf
Course Road in John Day for
a single-vehicle crash.
Dec. 23: Advised of a
noninjury crash on Highway
395 near Fox.
Dispatch
John Day dispatch worked
133 calls during the week of
Dec. 18-25. Along with the
various traffic warnings,
trespassing, injured animals,
noise complaints and juve-
nile complaints, these calls
included:
• John Day Police De-
partment
Dec. 18: Responded to a
theft report at a drug store in
John Day.
Dec. 18: Dispatched with
Oregon State Police to South-
west Front Street in Prairie
City for a domestic assault
report. Omar Ceja, 20, Prairie
City, was arrested.
Dec. 19: Responded to a
theft report at an apartment
building in John Day.
Dec. 20: Report of mail
tampering on North Canyon
Boulevard in John Day.
Dec. 21: Officer contacted
JUNIPER ARTS COUNCIL/GRANT COUNTY
CULTURAL COALITION IS SEEKING
GRANT PROPOSALS FOR OREGON
CULTURAL TRUST GRANT AWARDS
The coalition has $7,000 from the Oregon
Cultural Trust to distribute in Grant County to
organizations for projects relating to culture.
Projects may be related to the visual or
performing arts, heritage, and/or humanities.
Applications are available from Karin Barntish,
131 W. Main Street, John Day or call Kris Beal at
541-932-4892 for more information or an
application.
30862
• John Day ambulance
Dec. 18: Dispatched to
Corral Gulch Road in Can-
yon City.
Dec. 18: Responded to a
senior home in John Day for
an 83-year-old woman.
Dec. 18: Dispatched to a
senior home in Prairie City.
Dec. 19: Responded to
Highway 26 near Dayville
for an 86-year-old man.
Dec. 19: Dispatched to
Northeast Elm Street in John
Day for a 58-year-old man
with difficulty breathing.
• Grant County Sheriff’s
Office
Dec. 18: Advised of sus-
Dec. 20: Responded with
Dayville fire to East Frank-
lin Avenue in Dayville for a
62-year-old person with car-
diac problems.
Dec. 20: Dispatched with
Monument fire and ambu-
lance to Highway 402 for a
man with a diabetic issue.
Dec. 20: Responded to
Rebel Hill Road in Canyon
City for a woman with ex-
treme abdominal pain.
Dec. 20: Responded with
Monument fire and ambu-
lance to Highway 402 for a
70-year-old man.
Dec. 21: Dispatched with
Long Creek fire and am-
bulance to Eagle Street in
Long Creek for a 78-year-old
woman.
Dec. 21: Responded to an
apartment building in Prairie
City for a man with stroke-
like conditions.
Dec. 23: Dispatched with
Monument fire and ambu-
lance to Highway 19 for a
61-year-old woman.
Dec. 23: Paged to Chim-
ney Gulch Road in John Day
for a person having a possible
heart attack.
Dec. 23: Responded to La
Costa Road in John Day for
an 84-year-old woman.
Dec. 24: Dispatched with
Long Creek ambulance to the
Tin Hat Mountain area for a
snowmobile accident.
Dec. 25: Responded to a
senior home in John Day.
• John Day fire
Dec. 18: Advised of a fire
on Marysville Road.
J OIN O UR C APITAL C AMPAIGN
* A library is an essential part of every community *
PLEASE HELP US BUILD A NEW
LIBRARY FOR GRANT COUNTY IN 2019
Donations are tax deductible to the full extent allowed by the law.
Donor Name:
Address:
City:
Telephone:
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Grant applications will be accepted until
February 2, 2018 at 5:00 pm.
picious circumstances at the
Aldrich Mountain Lookout
southeast of Dayville.
Dec. 18: Responded to
Marysville Lane in Canyon
City for a loud noise.
Dec. 19: Dispatched to
Corral Gulch Road in Can-
yon City for a suicidal sub-
ject.
Dec. 22: Advised of a theft
in the Murderers Creek Unit
of Malheur National Forest.
Dec. 22: Melinda Jo
Moss, 38, John Day, was cit-
ed to appear in Grant County
Justice Court.
Dec. 23: Report of a sin-
gle-vehicle, noninjury crash
on Canyon Creek Lane south
of Canyon City that occurred
the previous night.
Dec. 23: Responded to
East Avenue in Seneca for
children left alone at home.
Dec. 24: Dispatched with
John Day police to South Fork
Road in Dayville for a domes-
tic dispute. James Brunsman,
Dayville, was arrested.
to assist in a forced eviction
on Patterson Drive in Canyon
City.
Dec. 21: Responded to
a noninjury motor vehicle
crash near the senior center
in John Day.
Dec. 22: Responded to
a noninjury motor vehicle
crash on Main Street in John
Day.
Dec. 22: Report of tele-
phonic harassment on North
Canyon Boulevard in John
Day.
Dec. 22: Travis B. Farr,
25, Mt. Vernon, was cited
on Highway 26 near Indian
Creek Road for speeding and
driving with a suspended li-
cense.
Dec. 22: Tylor J. Gifford,
23, John Day, was arrested on
Cozart Street in Prairie City
and charged with multiple
warrants.
Dec. 23: Responded to a
single-vehicle crash on West
Main Street in John Day.
Dec. 24: Omar C. Medina,
20, John Day, was arrested on
Highway 26 near Dixie Sum-
mit and charged on a no-con-
tact order from Grant County.
Dec. 24: Sylvia Sweeney,
58, American Falls, Idaho,
was cited on Highway 395 in
John Day for driving without
a license.
Dec. 24: Responded to a
report of suspicious circum-
stances on Northwest Second
Avenue in John Day.
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30465