Oregon taxpayers will get a boost on next year’s tax returns from the state’s first kicker rebate since 2007. So what does $402 million look like when you send it back to nearly 2 million taxpayers?
Top earners will get back $1,000 or more. Lower income households are looking at $50 or less.
What does that buy you? Raquel Ramirez and Lizzy Latham say a lot.
“Oh, I don’t know, school clothes, pay a bill or two?” Ramirez said. “You know, people work hard for their money these days, and every penny counts.”
“I mean $55 for my family goes a very long way,” Latham added. “That would do our weekly groceries for us.”
But, for others like Sue Harris, it’s not enough to justify taking money from state services.
“I think it should be put in a fund for a year when we don’t have sufficient money to do things in Salem,” she said.
The rebate will appear as a crediton next year’s tax forms.