Register Guard Recommends NO for Eugene Income Tax
We are proud to announce that the Register Guard has endorsed our position against the Eugene Income Tax. This adds to already stellar endorsement from the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce. Read an excerpt below:
EDITORIAL: City tax for schools — no
Income tax plan is imperfect, uncertain and unfair
Published: Sunday, May 1, 2011 07:01AM
Even supporters can see that Measure 20-182 on the May 17 ballot is far from perfect. Yet a city of Eugene income tax is the only available means to soften the effects of budget cuts in the Eugene and Bethel school districts, cuts that will result in layoffs, fewer school days and larger class sizes. The malady is plainly serious — but the cure is harsh. The Register-Guard cannot recommend a yes vote.
ELECTION 2011
The defects in Measure 20-182 are many, starting with the fact that one local government, the city of Eugene, is proposing to use its taxing authority for the benefit of others, the two school districts. The Eugene City Council has attempted to ensure accountability by requiring that the Eugene and Bethel school districts use the income tax revenue for no purposes other than limiting class sizes and restoring school days.
But there’s unavoidably a blurring of responsibilities, and even a potential for conflict. If a school district extends a bus route or buys a textbook, who’s to say that the funds didn’t indirectly come from the income tax? And if a school board believes that its top priority is adding a librarian or a counselor, why should the city be in a position to insist that the money be spent on a teacher instead?
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