taxes

Economists cautioned that the potential of a $582 million refund was still shaky, with warning signs on the horizon.

County officials across Southern Oregon say they’re desperate to fund law enforcement. But measures on the ballot this month to raise taxes are a hard sell in a region once reliant on timber revenue.

Tax day is not over for thousands of Oregonians.

The California Supreme Court will decide in the coming weeks whether to kick a measure off the November ballot that would make it more difficult to raise taxes. The case pits Democratic leaders and unions against business and taxpayer groups.

The volunteer fire department in Yreka, California is in desperate need of upgrades. The city is considering a 1% sales tax to put on the November ballot that could help alleviate staffing and facility issues.

Grants Pass approved a utility fee to fund public safety services on Wednesday. But council members warn that likely isn’t a long-term solution.

Democratic lawmakers are split over whether a greater share of the hundreds of millions of dollars needed to protect the state from wildfires should come from all Oregon taxpayers or from the private property and business owners whose valuable assets receive state protection.

The swing from a $100 billion surplus to a deficit somewhere between $38 and $68 billion in just two years illustrates the volatility of California’s tax system. It also has Governor Gavin Newsom eyeing changes to how much money the state saves during years of surplus.

A longtime proponent of taxes on beer and wine is now in charge of a state task force studying the public health impacts of alcohol abuse and whether to raise alcohol taxes for addiction treatment.

Gov. Tina Kotek took Marshall off a task force considering higher beer and wine taxes because of a Facebook post her office called insensitive and inappropriate.

The state will send a jaw-dropping $5.6 billion back to taxpayers next year, ratcheting up pressure on a policy voters love.

A ballot measure being pushed by business groups could place strict new limits on the ability of state and local governments to raise taxes. But California Democrats — from Governor Gavin Newsom to mayors from around the state — are asking the state Supreme Court to invalidate the proposition and remove it from the 2024 ballot.