Policy for the People

Echoing statements from both presidential candidates, one Oregon State Senator recently put forward the idea of exempting tips from Oregon income taxes. But is exempting tips from taxes a good idea?

In this episode of Policy for the People, we explore the idea of no taxes on tips. Daniel Hauser, Deputy Director of the Oregon Center for Public Policy, explains that exempting tips from taxes would do little to improve the economic security of struggling workers, while making our tax system less fair.

We also examine the origins of the practice of tipping. Nina Mast of the Economic Policy Institute discusses how tipping is a legacy of our nation’s deeply racist past, and what that means for workers today.