Oregon votes to hike taxes
Posted by Scott "The Piper" St. Clair - January 27, 2010Yesterday, Oregon voters seemingly bucked the national trend by voting to hike taxes. They
approved Measures 66 and 67 handily, with one raising personal income tax rates on households making more than $250,000 per year ($125,000 for individuals) and the other bumping up the minimum tax for corporations and increasing some tax rates.
approved Measures 66 and 67 handily, with one raising personal income tax rates on households making more than $250,000 per year ($125,000 for individuals) and the other bumping up the minimum tax for corporations and increasing some tax rates.Of course, the taxes they hiked are to be paid by other Oregonians, but that's beside the point. For the whole story, read my article here.
You always see the other guy as rich, and corporations are easy punching bags these days. No skin off my nose, so to speak. Job losses - why would there be job losses? Nah - nevergonnahappen. Businesses go under - just a scare tactic. Nah - nevergonnahappen.
Hey...why's that guy nailing plywood over the window of that storefront?The fact that labor was the big mover and shaker behind the two measures is interesting. From the article:
"According to campaign donation records, the campaign in favor of Measures 66 and 67, 'Yes for Oregon,' far and away outraised and outspent opponents of the measures. Public employee unions were the big donors, with the Oregon Education Association topping the list at $2.1 million, Local 503 of the Service Employees International Union at just shy of $1.9 million and Council 75 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees at just over $1.1 million.
The total war chest for the proponents of the measures approached $7 million, while the opponents had raised $4.55 million with some $610,000 of that used to pay for signature gathering."
Lots of dues money went into that campaign...And lots of new public-employee union members will get created out of the dough going into the state coffers. Of course, this comes at the expense of the creation of new jobs in the private sector, but whaddayoucare?
Whether what happened in Oregon will have any effect in Washington state remains to be seen - some say it will, while others aren't so sure.
But those with whom I talked in Oregon...well, let's just say they've seen better days.
The Piper
Thoughts? Add Comment -
Scott Roberts said on Jan 28 2010 at 8:37am
A little business tax reform here in WA and we could attract some of those soon-to-be bankrupt corporations in OR.