Tis the Season for More Transparency

At the end of every year, the Oregon Transparency Website gets updated, bringing stockings filled with the state’s detailed checkbook, presents of budgets and public meeting notices and, hopefully this year, critical details about corporate economic development tax subsidies.

At the end of every year, the Oregon Transparency Website gets updated, bringing stockings filled with the state’s detailed checkbook, presents of budgets and public meeting notices and, hopefully this year, critical details about corporate economic development tax subsidies.

$665 million. That’s how much Oregon taxpayers will spend in this biennium on corporate tax subsidies intended for economic development, according to the Oregon Tax Expenditure report. And what are we getting in return? Jobs? More revenue? Investments in communities? We don’t know, because for the most part, state officials haven’t made that information available on the Oregon Transparency Website. (Read our full report here).

Governor Kitzhaber has a chance to make 2014 the year that Oregonians can hop online and see details about economic development tax subsidies, including the names of the companies that are getting public subsidies, what they promised in exchange for those subsidies, and whether or not they delivered. What a great gift to give the public this holiday season: the ability to see their return on investment after years of being kept in the dark. 

With more transparency for these subsidies and other state spending, we can all better ensure that taxpayer funds are spent wisely. Oregonians will be able to feel confident in knowing that each dollar is accounted for and can play a more constructive role in debates over how public dollars are spent. 

The New Year—and Governor Kitzhaber—should bring Oregonians the transparency we deserve. 

Read our report, “Revealing Tax Subsidies 2013” and take action by sending Governor Kitzhaber an email about this issue.