The following is shared from The Oregonian:
Gov. Tina Kotek’s economic prosperity council on June 25 recommended that state leaders lower taxes, cut burdensome regulations and bolster workforce development programs to boost Oregon’s stagnant economy.
“I think she knows that things have to change, or she wouldn’t have asked us to do the job,” Curtis Robinhold, executive director of the Port of Portland and co-chair of the council, told The Oregonian/OregonLive Wednesday. “I think she has the intent to take action, and we wrote it in a way where she can take action.”
Throughout the report, the council argues that high taxes, lengthy permitting processes, a shortage of industrial land and a disjointed economic development system have made Oregon less competitive for business investment than neighboring states.
Notably, nearly all of the recommendations received unanimous support from the council, which included several business leaders and two labor representatives. That included proposals to revamp the state’s economic development agency, establish statewide permitting guidelines and shift to a market-based carbon emissions program consistent with those in neighboring states.