Oregon business leaders say the states should overhaul its tax policies for low-income earners.
Oregon business leaders say the states should overhaul its tax policies for low-income earners.
Officials aim to reduce the poverty rate below 10 percent by 2020. Currently, 17.2 percent of Oregonians — including about a quarter of children — live in poverty, up more than four percent from before the recession, the report said.
Part of the problem in Oregon is a tax structure that, like in other states, fails to make work pay, the report said. As low-income Oregonians earn more, they lose access to food stamps, cash welfare assistance and other benefits at the same time that their tax liabilities grow. The practical effect is a disincentive for some Oregonians to return to work and stop relying on public assistance.
Read more at OregonLive.com.
