Last Tuesday, January 26, Oregon voters approved a pair of ballot measures that will increase taxes in a recession. One raises income taxes for the wealthy, and the other raises corporate taxes. The measures will spare Oregon legislators from making some $727 million in cuts to education and social services during their current session.
This is the state’s first voter-approved statewide income tax increase since the 1930s, proving that Americans are moving away from the old anti-tax mentality and are more motivated than ever to find new sources of revenue to save vital services without impacting working families.
“It’s time for corporations and the rich to pay their fair share for the services we all depend on in order to restore our state’s economy and state services,” says CSUEU President Pat Gantt. “The election in Oregon showed that voters will stand firmly beside our leaders when they are ready to invest in our recovery—and they proved that conventional wisdom is wrong.”
In a state struggling with high unemployment and faced with cuts to schools and human services that would deepen the recession, Oregon voters made a clear statement of their priorities: the government’s top job must be to preserve vital services and infrastructure and stimulate the economy. Cutting services and jobs would only make the recession worse.
Numerous polls show that Californians also support new taxes to help fix California's budget crisis.
“This should serve as a wake-up call for leaders in California,” says CSUEU Vice President for Representation Russell Kilday-Hicks. “Working people have already taken the hit year after year to our schools, colleges, and communities. Oregon voters aren’t picking on corporations or other taxpayers. They are asking they start paying their fair share of taxes for the good of all. CSUEU is ready to work with our elected leaders to begin rebuilding our state.”