7 reasons to vote No on Measure 26-201 – Portland’s gross receipts tax

7 reasons to vote no on Measure 26-201
By the Taxpayer Association of Oregon

1. Portlanders already live in the top 10 highest taxed places in the nation.

2. Our Top 10 high tax rates are why Oregon’s cost of living is growing TWICE as fast as our wages. Measure 26-201 further drives up Oregon’s cost of living.

3. Portlanders already pay taxes that most other Oregonians don’t pay…

– Portland Arts Income Tax (2013)
– 10-cent Portland Gas Tax (2016)
– Portland Landline Phone tax (2012)
– Portland Uber-Lyft tax (2016)
– $35 per-car vehicle tax (2010)

…these “Portland-only” taxes are driving lower class people out of Portland. Measure 26-201 makes life even more unaffordable by raising costs of the goods we buy.

4. Portland already raised the local business tax 13-18% last May. Measure 26-201 hits businesses with a SECOND tax hike in a single year!

5. In 2018, the Oregon Legislature approved 560 fee increases which driving up the cost of living for the middle class. Measure 26-201 drives up prices further for the same middle class already struggling.

6. Reckless “clean energy” mis-spending. An official 2016 State Audit of Oregon’s clean energy BETC project found that more than 25% of the clean energy funds were mis-spent. That’s 25% funds mis-spent! Measure 26-201 appears to have less safeguards against fraud and abuse than the 2016 “clean energy” tax scandal that sent several Oregonians to jail.

7. More reckless “clean energy” mis-spending. In a completely different clean energy scandal, The Oregonian reports that a local Portland environmental businesses is accused of mis-spending $8 million of tax dollars causing state officials to demand a refund (Oregonian 9-5-18). Measure 26-201 creates a clean energy slush fund with little oversight and run by unelected people which makes it ripe for abuse and scandal.

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