Ballot Measures 66 & 67 Debate

In 2009 the Oregon Legislature passed two bills as part of an effort to address the state’s fiscal crisis: one raising taxes on high income earners; the other increasing the state’s corporate minimum tax and levying new taxes on corporate revenue. In response, critics of the legislation gathered a sufficient number of petitions to qualify two referenda – Measures 66 and 67 – for a January 26, 2010 special election allowing the electorate to decide the fate of these tax increases.

Supporters of the tax increases argue that the nearly $750 million in expected revenue is necessary to avoid deeper cuts to education, health care and public safety, while also helping balance the state’s 2009-2011 biennial budget. Opponents argue that the tax increases – especially their permanent nature – will ultimately stifle economic growth and job creation, while possibly driving business enterprises and high-income earners out of state.

Steve Novick, a chief proponent of Measures 66 and 67, is a Policy Analyst on the Vote Yes for Oregon team, where he works on behalf of passing these measures. Opponent Pat McCormick, a partner at Conkling Fiskum & McCormick, is a spokesman for Oregonians Against Job-Killing Taxes, working to defeat these measures.

Learn more about ballot measures 66 & 67 here.