Oregon’s public transit systems stand at a crossroads as state lawmakers debate whether to increase the Statewide Transportation Improvement Fund (STIF) payroll tax or eliminate transit funding altogether. The current 0.1 percent payroll tax, unchanged since 2017, generates approximately $141 million annually for transit services across Oregon. Two competing proposals have emerged from the Legislature. Democratic lawmakers, led by Sen. Khanh Pham of Portland, propose phasing the STIF payroll tax from 0.1 percent to 0.5 percent over eight years. Their plan would generate an estimated $268.6 million per biennium and cost Oregon workers making the median salary roughly $16.75 per … Continue reading Oregon Transit Tax Battle: 51 Bus Lines Could Vanish as $306M Funding Hangs in Balance