Rep. Kurt Schrader, D-Ore., bills himself as a budget hawk, a persistent agitator for getting the nation’s debt under control. He also speaks frequently about the broken federal tax code.

Those two concepts came together on Sept. 13 when Schrader wrote in an e-newsletter that Congress should go "big" this winter when devising a way to avoid the so-called "fiscal cliff," the spending cuts and tax increases that go into effect automatically early next year if Congress does nothing.

Schrader has been preaching this for months. But in the newsletter he offered a new argument for re-working the tax code as part of the exercise. One big reason comprehensive tax reform is needed, he wrote is, "Tax revenues are the lowest they have been since World War II and need to increase through comprehensive tax reform."

That’s quite an interesting and emphatic statement; exactly the kind that gets our attention at PolitiFact Oregon, so we checked it out. Find out how we ruled in "Are Tax revenues the lowest they've been since World War II?"

Read the ruling and return to OregonLive to tell us what you think in this story's comment section.