This content was published: February 10, 2009. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.
Another county heard from, regarding the Alternative Minimum Tax
Photos and story by Dana Haynes
A very good friend at PCC takes issue with my humble opinion that the Alternative Minimum Tax is important but not stimulative.
He rightly points out that that’s my opinion and my opinion only. “To contend that the AMT is not ensnaring the folks who we’ll put to work fixing boilers shows a pretty serious disconnection with reality,” he points out, and in that, he’s right as rain. The AMT does enjoy bipartisan support and it is hitting folks it was never targeted for.
My point was: aid to the states will mean hiring people to do stuff like fix boilers, and they in turn will spend the money buying food and clothes, and the clerks who take their money will spend what they receive buying whatever; the money keeps rolling forward. Studies show that fixing a wrong-headed tax measure is important, but people tend to put that money into savings. And yeah, saving is good and important and I should do more of it. But right now, spending is more important to jump-start the economy (lord knows I did my share in Georgetown yesterday).
My friend (I didn’t get his permission to use his name, so I’m not) is smarter than me by about a mile and a quarter. But I stand on this one: Fixing the AMT is important. And should be part of its own stand-alone bill.
dana
About Dana Haynes
Dana Haynes, joined PCC in 2007 as the manager of the Office of Public Affairs, directing the college's media and government relations. Haynes spent the previous 20 years as a reporter, columnist and editor for Oregon newspapers, including ... more »