Fresh off a successful re-election campaign, Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber plans to unveil a two-year spending plan Monday.
The Governor will propose ways to spend nearly $18 billion in general fund revenue. The largest chunk of that money by far comes from personal income taxes. And Kitzhaber doesn't expect that to change in the near future.
"We're not going to be passing a sales tax in this state anytime soon,” he said. “So I think the question is: What are some more modest changes one could make in the tax structure?"
The governor suggested a possible cut in capital gains taxes to spur economic growth. He'd pair that with tax breaks for low income workers. The biggest share of the state budget typically goes toward education.
State lawmakers get their say in the matter, too.