Cascade Policy Institute Opposes Measure 97, the “Sales Tax on Steroids”

August 8, 2016 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PORTLAND, Ore. – Cascade Policy Institute’s Board of Directors has voted to oppose Measure 97, the 2.5 percent gross receipts tax on C corporations with Oregon sales above $25 million. It would be the biggest tax increase in Oregon history.

Contrary to union claims, Measure 97 will not simply tax big out-of-state corporations. As the non-partisan Legislative Revenue Office Report has found, it will act primarily as a consumption tax on Oregonians. The estimated cost of this tax is $600 per year for every man, woman, and child, with lower-income households being hurt the most.

As the national Tax Foundation has noted, by seeking to raise more than $6 billion per biennium, Measure 97 will increase total state taxes by approximately 25 percent. It is an eight-times-larger tax increase than Measures 66 and 67, the tax increase measures that were on the 2010 ballot.

Following the Cascade Board vote, Cascade’s President and CEO John A. Charles, Jr. released this statement:

“All corporate taxes are paid by individuals, including consumers in the form of higher prices, employees in the form of lower compensation, and/or owners in the form of lower profits. The union backers of Measure 97 know this, but cynically claim that it will simply make corporations ‘pay their fair share.’ This tactic is not only misleading, but if successful will harm every Oregon taxpayer.”

“As the two most reputable studies (LRO and PSU) on the effects of Measure 97 to date conclude, it will act largely as a consumption tax on Oregonians. As the former State Economist and chief author of the PSU study noted in March, it will be ‘like a sales tax on steroids.’ That is because Measure 97 will tax multiple transactions from production, through processing, through distribution, through the ultimate retail sale.”

“Measure 97 is especially punitive because unlike retail sales taxes that often exempt necessities such as food, medicine, and housing, Measure 97 will tax everything. Consumers will see price increases that in many cases will be much more than the stated 2.5 percent rate, without having any idea that the cause is Measure 97.” 

Two recent Cascade publications on the ballot initiative that is now Measure 97:

Like a Sales Tax on Steroids
Sales Tax by Any Other Name

About Cascade Policy Institute:

Founded in 1991, Cascade Policy Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy research and educational organization that focuses on state and local issues in Oregon. Cascade’s mission is to develop and promote public policy alternatives that foster individual liberty, personal responsibility, and economic opportunity. For more information, visit cascadepolicy.org.

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