I will have to pay $54 less tax next year to the State of Oregon.  

Then IRS will have me add that $54 as 2018 income so they can tax it.  

I do agree that a check would have had a more beneficial effect on the economy.

When I was in the military, an isolated base had problems with the local politicians.  

We got paid in cash back then, so they paid us in $2 bills.  By the time those $2 bills cycled and re-cycled through the economy for several months (even with the banks pulling them out of circulation), the local politicians had a better understanding as to which side of the bread had the butter.