A D V E R T I S E M E N T
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
ADVERTISEMENTS
The League of Women Voters of East Multnomah County (LWV-EMCO) wants all of the voters of the state of Oregon to be informed voters in the Jan. 26, 2010, special election regarding measures 66 and 67. Read and listen to some of the good civil discourse we have in this great city. Remember, 30-second sound bites won’t give you the information needed to cast an informed vote.
EMCO urges each of you to be sure to have your ballot in the mail no later than Jan. 19, 2010, or your ballot can be dropped off at the Multnomah County Elections Office, 1040 S.E. Morrison St., Portland, no later than 8 p.m. Jan. 26, 2010, or dropped off at the election box at any library before 8 p.m. Jan. 26. Remember that the voter registration deadline is Jan. 5, 2010. If you have any questions regarding registration, please call the Elections Office at 503-988-3720. Their e-mail address is elections@co.multnomah.or.us. You should vote yes if you want the measure to pass and vote no if you do not want the measure to pass as it is written.
One of the taxes will raise the corporate minimum tax from $10 per year, which it has been since 1931. The new tax is one-tenth of one percent of Oregon sales, or a minimum of $150. Also, profitable corporations, which now pay taxes of 6.6 percent on profits, will pay 7.9 percent for the next two years, and then pay 7.6 percent.
Oregon has the lowest corporate tax in the West. Our ranking now is 47th out of 50 states and with the increase Oregon would be 45th out of 50 states. This rate is lower than individuals whose income is more than $15,000 per year.
The other tax will raise the personal income tax. The personal income tax would increase the marginal tax on income of more than $150,000 for individuals and $250,000 for households to 10.8 percent until 2012, when it drops to 9.9 percent. This same measure would also increase the marginal tax rate on income of more than $250,000 for individuals and $500,000 for households to 11 percent until 2012, when it drops to 9.9 percent.
Since the passage of Measure 5, more than half (58 percent) of state income taxes are sent for education, including K-12, community colleges and universities. Twenty-two percent of state taxes are spent for human services, such as welfare and the Oregon Health Plan. Sixteen percent is used for public safety, including police and prisons. Gas taxes, fees, charges and federal funds are dedicated revenues. Although tuition charges and some federal funds are used for schools, dedicated revenues must be spent for specific programs. These dedicated revenues cannot be shifted to another part of the budget.
These laws were passed by the Oregon Legislature to balance our state budget in these very hard times.
Gresham resident Marlene Byrne is the president of the League of Women Voters of East Multnomah County.
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Re: Get informed about upcoming vote
While a new corporate tax of one-tenth of one percent of Oregon sales, or a minimum of $150 sounds minuscule, it's on Gross sales, not net income. A corporation that sold millions of dollars worth of good or services may have ended up in the hole several hundred thousand dollars for the year, but still be stuck with an additional 30, 40 or $50,000 that must be borrowed to pay the new tax.
How many more Oregon workers will lose their jobs when a corporation is forced into bankruptcy over this?
The state should stop the socialistic welfare & cut pork before destroying the job producers.
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(email verified)
Fri, Nov 20, 2009 at 02:49 AM