Tag Archives: taxes

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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Lobbyists parachute into Portland to protect federal tax break

Posted on August 31, 2021 by Bennett Minton

Text of my letter published in the August 30 Tax Notes Federal, a policy journal that covers Congress. (I was a congressional correspondent and later news editor in the 1990s.) Portland, Oregon, is a continent away from the backroom deals … Continue reading →

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After watering our parched gardens, we offered an accounting

Posted on August 19, 2021 by Bennett Minton

Dear Tax Fairness Oregon Supporters: We have been remiss in our correspondence with you. As our steering committee spent the legislative session plowing through bills and testifying on 41 of them (some more than once), we didn’t set aside time … Continue reading →

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Blue Virginia expels the Confederacy

Posted on November 6, 2019 by Bennett Minton

A link here to my column in The Washington Post, the day after Democrats captured both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly for the first time since 1992. And the text for those who don’t pony up for a subscription: … Continue reading →

Posted in election campaign, Uncategorized, Virginia legislature, Voting | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Denouement of ‘repeal and replace’

Posted on July 28, 2017 by Bennett Minton

As societies become more complex, the government (the instrument of our social compact) is called on to do more to arrange commerce – the exchange of goods and services. Market regulation is a necessary component of development, to ensure some … Continue reading →

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Abraham Lincoln had it pretty good

Posted on February 15, 2016 by Bennett Minton

When our 16th president was inaugurated, seven of the 11 Confederate states had already walked. South Carolina’s secession resolution, like those of other rebellious states, was unambiguous that slavery was the cause: A geographical line has been drawn across the … Continue reading →

Posted in Abraham Lincoln, Congress, Supreme Court, U.S. Constitution, Uncategorized, Voting | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The girth of the tax code – in one provision

Posted on December 17, 2015 by Bennett Minton

Ever wonder about line 23 on your annual Form 1040? In 2002 Congress created a temporary $250 “above the line” tax deduction to acknowledge teachers for the money they spend on classroom materials that their employers won’t. Teachers spend several … Continue reading →

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