Timber Payments Subisidize Counties at Taxpayers' Expense | Randal O'Toole | Cato Institute: Commentary

Timber Payments Subisidize Counties at Taxpayers' Expense | Randal O'Toole | Cato Institute: Commentary: "taxpayers in these counties (of which I am one) have been getting a free ride for decades. While federal lands impose little cost on counties, the payments out of timber receipts have been many times greater than the federal government would have paid if it had paid ordinary property taxes."

"these counties have some of the lowest property tax rates in the state. While the average Oregon property owner pays more than $2.80 per $1,000 in assessed value to the county, property owners in Curry and Josephine counties pay only 60 cents"

"Raising property taxes to somewhere around the statewide average would solve the problems in all of these counties except Lake and Lane. But Oregon law prevents counties from raising taxes without voter approval, and county commissioners suspect that few voters will be willing to double or quadruple their county tax burden."