The Outlook – Guest Opinion
Group ask voters to reject measures
Jan 23, 2010
Rebuild Oregon is a newly formed grassroots group of people in East County working toward conservative values of fiscal restraint, limited government and traditional education goals teaching self-sufficiency.
Rebuild Oregon feels measures 66 and 67 are ill-conceived, poorly timed and inequitable. Imposing a sales-tax-type gross receipts tax on companies will raise the costs of all goods in Oregon. Businesses in Oregon pay their fair share in the form of payroll taxes, property taxes and numerous other taxes. It is disingenuous of the supporters of measures 66 and 67 to say corporations do not pay enough. Corporations pay a heavy tax burden to employ residents of Oregon. Raising taxes on corporations will lead to higher costs of all goods and will reduce the work force in Oregon as companies seek to cut costs or relocate. Oregon already has a reputation of being unfriendly to business and many businesses can choose to relocate outside of our borders, taking more jobs out of Oregon.
Raising taxes on company owners is another disincentive to start businesses and employ residents of Oregon. We do not support Measure 66 because discouraging investors through higher income taxes will hurt our economy. Now is not the time to place the burden of poor fiscal management at the state level on successful people who employ Oregonians.
Rebuild Oregon asks the question of anybody seeking to “put it to the rich,” have they ever seen a poor person employ somebody? Many of our members are located in East County and own small businesses. Small business has suffered during the recession and raising taxes on these owners will lead to further staff cuts. Additionally, when less than 3 percent of our citizens pay almost 33 percent of the state’s local revenue, we believe this is more than “fair.”
Many business owners across the state have seen their profits vanish, while their personnel have taken huge pay cuts, yet count themselves lucky to remain employed. Last year, the pay and benefits package for the average state employee actually climbed.
Since the start of the recession, Oregon has lost more than 131,000 private-sector jobs according to the Oregon Employment Department. With unemployment at 11.1 percent and 213,000 Oregonians out of work, leading economists estimate that the new, permanent tax increases will cost an additional 70,000 Oregonians their jobs.
For Oregon to compete for large corporations, who employee hundreds to thousands of workers, we need to have sensible tax laws.
As citizens, we elect our legislators to act on behalf of all citizens, not do the bidding of the unions and special interests.
State newspapers, business groups, Chambers of Commerce and hundreds of thousands of Oregonians have come out against 66 and 67. We, the members of Rebuild Oregon, have a great love for our community and we would hate to see the damage that these measures would do.
Please visit www.rebuildoregon.com for more information on our group.
Jeff Anderson is a Fairview resident.
