Category Archives: Tax

Three strikes never looked so good

Posted on March 27, 2023 by Bennett Minton

The image, from an Oregon Legislature committee hearing, represents what I’m thinking most times I testify about some poorly designed bill that would give away taxpayers money. Generally I try to look more dignified. Actually, last week I testified in … Continue reading →

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Portland’s Ritz Carlton (with its tax breaks) nears completion

Posted on October 29, 2022 by Bennett Minton

The other day I took a tour of Portland’s Ritz Carlton, the 35-story, five-star hotel and condo to be completed next spring. The condo units, on the upper floors, are selling from $1.3 million for one-bedrooms to $10 million for … Continue reading →

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Penance for a former influence peddler

Posted on March 4, 2021 by Bennett Minton

The national news is depressing, with one party—and its Supreme Court majority—determined to prevent voters it doesn’t like (and doesn’t want) from participating in democracy. So I bang my head against the wall (on Zoom) in Salem, my state capital, … Continue reading →

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An opportunity to enrich the opportunistic

Posted on April 1, 2020 by Bennett Minton

Published March 30, 2020, in Tax Notes Federal, weekly magazine of Tax Analysts Inc., where I was a reporter and editor in the early 1990s. This is a story about billionaires, how Congress makes laws, how city development officials work … Continue reading →

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George Bush and the politics of prudence

Posted on December 1, 2018 by Bennett Minton

What George Bush, who died yesterday, regarded as the biggest mistake of his presidency was his most courageous political act. It was also the last time the Republican Party engaged in responsible budget policy. I was Capitol Hill reporter when … Continue reading →

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Ten reasons I quit watching football

Posted on February 7, 2016 by Bennett Minton

As a hundred million viewers turn on the 50th Super Bowl, I offer 10 perspectives on turning it off. My football viewing ended after the 47th edition, when in a moment of clarity I turned to other items of interest. … Continue reading →

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Celebrating “Tax Day” – and perverting it

Posted on April 15, 2015 by Bennett Minton

IT IS A NATIONAL DAY OF ACCOUNTS: Tax Day. In bygone years, lots of us had our returns stamped at the post office after dark, taking to the last hour to reaffirm our citizenship. Long before Turbotax, I participated in … Continue reading →

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