GOP wants cost cuts in exchange for revenue hikes
SALEM — Driving a hard bargain one week away from the legislative session's commencement, Republican state legislators say they'd be willing to consider revenue reform — but only if there are changes to the other side of the state's ledger.
Without any new revenue, the state has $1.8 billion less than it needs to maintain the current level of state services, according to the co-chairs of the legislative Joint Ways and Means Committee, which writes the state's budget.
Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario, vice chair of the House Revenue Committee, suggested this week that a "broad-based consumption tax," coupled with changes to the state's income tax, could be one way to strike a compromise between business groups and public labor advocates.
But he and other Republicans are adamant that they won't agree to making changes to taxes without first addressing the state's costs, including the state's pension system.
Read more: http://portlandtribune.com/pt/9-news/342020-222244-gop-wants-cost-cuts-in-exchange-for-revenue-hikes