Watch the City Club’s weekly meeting on its Facebook page - or sign up here to receive an invitation to attend the Zoom taping at 9 a.m. on September 28, where you can ask questions.

In Oregon, when the actual tax revenue for a biennium exceeds the forecasted revenue by 2% or more, individual and corporate taxpayers get a rebate, which Oregonians call a “kicker.” The kicker policy was adopted by voters first in 1980, and in 2000 it was placed in the state Constitution. In 2012, after a few years of experience with the kicker, giving voters a chance to see its impact on state programs, a change was made. Now individual tax payers get a check proportional to their tax liability, but corporate kicker rebates are deposited into the state’s general fund and earmarked for K-12 education.

Last month, the Oregon Office of Economic Analysis reported that if tax collections come in as predicted, Oregonians will get a kicker: households in the “middle 20%” of the income distribution will receive an average of about $420 and the richest 1% an average of nearly $17,000 when they file their taxes in 2022.

Debate about the kicker has grown in recent years–with advocates on both sides of the issue staking out markedly different positions. In this program, two experts in tax policies and state economics will describe very different views of how well the kicker works and what it promotes or impedes in community life.

Speakers include Eric Fruits, Vice President of Research at Cascade Policy Institute; and Daniel Houser, Director of Strategic Policy Projects.