Two days after a proposed tax hike faltered in the Oregon House, a union-backed group has filed initiatives to raise taxes on corporations. The move by Our Oregon Friday could be a repeat of a bitter tax fight three years ago.
Our Oregon has successfully led two tax campaigns in the last few years. The group estimates the six initiatives it’s looking at for 2014 would raise corporate taxes anywhere from $75 million to more than $1 billion a year.
Spokesman Scott Moore says corporations should pay more in taxes since they benefit from Oregon services. "They're able to be successful because of our K-12 schools, because of our universities, because of the educated workforce that we're creating."
Moore says Our Oregon will decide which of the initiatives to pursue after researching voter reactions. He says the initiatives would have been introduced even if the Oregon House had approved the tax hike on Wednesday.
Republicans in the Oregon legislature have opposed corporate tax increases. They say higher rates would stifle business growth.
On the Web:
Proposed 2014 initiatives - Our Oregon